Eight killed in Fla. when church van crashes into canal

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Eight people are dead after a church van crashed into a canal in south Florida.

It happened overnight in Glades County, and investigators are looking into what may have caused the tragedy.

For some reason, the oversized van ran a stop sign, crossed all of the lanes on U.S. 27 and ended up in a canal.

There were 18 people inside – the other 10 were all treated at local hospitals, including a 4-year-old girl.

"We will determine how many seats were inside the van, and how many can be safely seated appropriately," Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Greg Bueno said. "That's part of the investigation. We can say that there were 18 people inside the van at the time of the crash."

WPTV reports that the van is from Independent Haitian Assembly of God in Fort Pierce.

The driver is among the confirmed fatalities. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a couple of the victims were transported as trauma alerts.