The Florida Highway Patrol has said that eight people were killed and another 10 were injured after a church van ran a stop sign and ended up crashing into a canal on Monday morning.
The Associated Press reported that the crash happened around 12:30 a.m. in Glades County, about 20 miles from Lake Okeechobee.
Authorities said the van, which was traveling to Fort Pierce after a weekend convention in Fort Myers, ran a stop sign before it crossed over all lanes of traffic on U.S. 27 and landed in the canal.
Lt. Gregory S. Bueno confirmed that of the 18 people inside the vehicle eight are deceased and the other 10 were transported to local hospitals. They experienced various injuries and while some are listed in stable condition, others are listed in critical.
Officials have not yet determined the exact cause of the accident, but said that weather may have been a factor as the roadway was foggy at the time of the crash.
The names of the deceased have not been released at this time.