Fresno, Jan 3 (AP) Seven children and two adult drivers were killed in head-on collision in Central California on New Year's Day, authorities said.

The children, who were between 6 and 15 years old, were members of two related families traveling in a 2007 Ford that collided around 8 p.m.

Friday with a Dodge vehicle on State Route 33 between Avenal and Coalinga, the Fresno County Coroner's office and the California Highway Patrol said.

Evidence from the scene indicated that the Dodge being driven by a 28-year-old man was travelling southbound on the highway when it veered onto the dirt shoulder for an unknown reason, the CHP said.

The driver then overcorrected and swerved into the southbound lane, where it struck the Ford driven by a woman.

The Ford burst into flames on the dirt shoulder, while the Dodge came to a stop straddling both lanes of the highway, the CHP said. All eight people inside the Ford were killed, including the seven children.

The driver of the Dodge was identified as Daniel Luna of Avenal. The coroner's office was working on identifying the victims in the Ford. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)