2 Sisters Among 3 Dead After Van Carrying 10 Vacationers Rolls Over on Fla. Highway

The wreckage after the van overturned.Photo: Florida Highway patrol

Three people are dead after authorities say a van carrying 10 vacationers from Maryland crashed on a Florida highway.

Seven others, including a 5-year old child, suffered injuries and were transported to local hospitals, according to the press release.

The deadly incident unfolded Sunday morning around 5:30 a.m. on northbound Interstate 95 near Ormond Beach, the FHP stated.

According to the FHP, the crash’s impact was so strong that it ripped off the van’s roof and ejected multiple occupants.

A puppy was also found at the site of the crash in the wreckage, the FHP said. It has since been turned over to its owner.

“[Troopers] said the pup was so happy when they found it,” FHP’s Public Information Officer Lt. Kim Montes told theNews-Journal. “It was reunited with its owner.”

Officials noted in the release that the van’s occupants were all friends and family from Maryland who were returning from a trip to Orlando.

Investigators believe that several of the passengers were lying down or sleeping in the rear part of the van when it crashed, according to the release.

Troopers are currently investigating whether any of the occupants were wearing seatbelts, and said there were no car seats for the younger victims spotted at the crash site.

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Four more people — including the driver, who suffered minor injuries, theNews-Journalreported — were taken to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

They are all in stable condition, according to the FHP.

As for the victims — who have not been publicly identified — the two sisters were pronounced dead at the scene and the man was located dead under the van, theNews-Journalreported.

At this time, the incident remains under investigation.

source: people.com