WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. --
Five people died and three others were injured after a sport utility vehicle rolled over on the Florida Turnpike Friday night.
The five people died after the crash at about 11:30 p.m. near Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach. The vehicle was traveling from the Orlando area to Fort Lauderdale, police said.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the 2000 Ford Expedition blew a tire, which caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle and roll into a 15-foot-deep canal.
"It's unknown to us why the driver lost control, beside the fact that evidence indicates there was a tire malfunction in the vehicle," said FHP Lt. Tim Frith. "It appears the tire went down and then probably separated. There were gauge marks on the roadway where, at some point, the vehicle began to overturn several times."
Fire officials said there were eight people in the vehicle, including two girls and three boys. Firefighters arriving at the scene found one of the children crying in a ditch. Authorities said they believe the victims were Haitians and they were headed to a religious event in Fort Lauderdale.
"It was totally submerged in water when troopers arrived," Frith said. "We know that three people are deceased on scene right now."
Police said those three victims were two women and one boy. Four people were taken to Delray Medical Center, where a girl died a short time later.
One of the boys was still unaccounted for Friday night. Police brought in a helicopter, dive team and dogs to search the canal for the boy early Saturday.
His body was found at about 8:30 a.m.
The victims were identified as follows: Driver Moline Etienne, 23; Shelley Peters, 30; Roodandray Louis, 3; Malesha Louis, 5; Natayel Meyer, 10.
The names of the injured passengers were Enichka Maurice, 15; Gina M. Merceron, 41; and Shadrack Gustave, 6.
The SUV was registered to Merceron, who lives in an apartment off Mercy Drive in Orlando, but Etienne was driving at the time of the crash.
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