Seven people, including children, were killed when a tractor-trailer collided with a minivan on a rural two-lane highway in upstate New York, officials said Wednesday, May 29.

The rig was headed south around 6 p.m. on Route 13 about 25 miles south of Syracuse when the trailer became disconnected and crossed the center line, hitting a minivan carrying eight people, according to Capt. Mark Helms of the Cortland County Sheriff's Department.

The force of the impact ripped the minivan apart, and both vehicles came to rest on the shoulder of the roadway.

"It was a bad accident," Helms said.

Officials have not released the identities of those killed, but all of them were passengers in the minivan. Two people in the truck were not injured, Helms said.

Officials did not say what caused the accident, AP reported.