5 killed, including 3 children, in a crash on a Colorado highway

FRANKTOWN, Colo. (AP) — Five people were killed, including three children, in a three-vehicle crash on a Colorado highway on Monday, authorities said.

The crash happened just after 4:30 p.m. when the driver of a Toyota hatchback lost control in the Franktown area south of Denver, the Colorado State Patrol said in a news release.

The southbound Toyota went off the right shoulder, then returned to the roadway and rolled onto the northbound lane, where it hit a northbound Ford sedan head-on before striking a Ford pickup truck.

The driver of the Toyota, who was ejected when the vehicle started to roll, died on the scene, the state patrol said.

The driver of the sedan and three of the five children in that vehicle died on the scene. Two other children were flown to a nearby medical facility, but authorities did not share their conditions. The driver of the pickup truck was not injured.

The crash is under investigation. The Douglas County Coroner will identify those who died once all next of kin have been notified, the state patrol said.