6 Children Dead After Car Plunges Into River As Driver 'Attempts To Dodge Teen Cyclist'

A car plunged into a river in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Monday evening, killing six children who were inside the vehicle.

A total of nine people were in the car when the horrific crash took place. This includes six siblings, aged between two and 12, a 45-year-old driver and two teens, aged 18 and 13. While the six siblings and the driver, who was a family friend, were pronounced dead at the scene, the two teenagers were rushed to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, local news website UOL Noticias reported.

Local authorities stated that the rescue workers first found the bodies of five children and an adult. The body of the seventh victim, 4-year-old Ana Laisa, was found the following morning. Firefighters, with the help of the military, removed the car from the river Tuesday evening.

A family member told local media that the driver was taking all the children to the local tourist attraction Lagoa de Cima when the unfortunate incident took place.

Though police and local authorities were investigating the circumstances that led to the crash, witnesses told local media that the driver lost control of the vehicle while he was trying to dodge a teen cyclist. The car veered off the road and fell off a bridge into the river.

The incident comes months after a man and two children were killed after their car plunged into a car in County Donegal, Ireland. Local authorities said the driver lost control following which the car skidded and fell down an embankment right into the river. Their bodies were recovered a few hours later and sent for an autopsy. Meanwhile, another female passenger, who managed to get out of the car at the right moment, was rushed to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

In another incident earlier this year, six members of a family were killed after their car skidded off the road and plunged into a river in Jammu & Kashmir. The deceased included three minors.