A Mount Airy couple were killed yesterday morning after a tanker truck struck their car from behind, according to the state police at the Westminster barracks.

Joseph Phillip Mitchell, 76, and Kathleen Grace Mitchell, 69, of the 4300 block of Langdon Drive in Mount Airy were in a 2000 Dodge Intrepid about 7:30 a.m. stopped on northbound Route 27 to make a left turn on to Center Street when a truck hauling a full load of diesel fuel struck the car in the rear, said Trooper Henry Doll.

The Mitchells were flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where they were pronounced dead soon after arriving, police said.

The truck, which had minor damage, is registered to Arscott Truck Leasing LLC of the 5100 block of Holabird Ave. in Baltimore, according to police, who said the driver, James Darryl Neal, 38, of the first block of Stuart Mills Place in Catonsville was not injured.

No charges had been filed yesterday. An investigation is continuing, police said.

The northbound lanes of Route 27 were closed briefly after the accident, and southbound traffic was rerouted for about four hours, police said.

The state police traffic investigation team and troopers were assisted by the State Highway Administration and the Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company.