Two Girls Killed in Crash on Suburban Kansas City Beltway

Authorities say two children have died and three other people are critically injured in a crash on a suburban Kansas City beltway.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash happened Sunday when a minivan came to a stop for an unknown reason on Interstate 435 in Leawood, Kansas. A tractor-trailer then struck the van, killing 7-year-old Ruth Vasquez and 1-year-old Teresa Vasquez. The girls were from Kansas City, Missouri.

WDAF-TV reports that the minivan's driver and two boys, ages 9 and 14, are hospitalized in critical condition. The rig's driver also was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.