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Church van crashes in Florida, killing 8 and injuring 10

By Andrew V. Pestano

MOORE HAVEN, Fla., March 30 (UPI) -- Eight people died and 10 were injured after their church van crashed in Glades County, Fla., after midnight on Monday.

The van, while traveling on State Road 78, passed a stop sign and drove through the intersection of State Road 27 and into a ditch in a partially water-filled canal. The group was returning from a trip to Fort Myers.

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All 10 injured passengers were taken to four local hospitals. The driver is among the dead and a four-year-old among the injured.

Formal identifications are pending. The names of the victims will be released after authorities notify next of kin. The church van was labeled as belonging to the Independent Haitian Assembly of God from Fort Pierce.

The van was seated with 18, but estimates show the van was likely to have been built to seat 16 people.

"Its tragic," Lt. Greg Bueno said. The crash happened near Moore Haven, about 80 miles west of West Palm Beach.

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