Five children were killed, and six others were injured in a two-vehicle collision in rural Ontario on Friday night.

The Ontario Provincial Police say around 7:30 p.m. in Mapleton Township, northwest of Guelph, a van with 10 people inside and a sport utility vehicle with one person collided at the intersection of 4th Line and Wellington Road 12.

Investigators say five children – four girls and a boy – ranging in age from 4 years old to 12 years old were killed in the crash. All of the victims were related to each other, but police did not specify the relationships.

Four other adults and one infant were seriously injured, while the driver of the SUV also sustained serious injuries.

At least three people were airlifted to various trauma centres, while others were rushed to local hospitals.

OPP Superintendent Dwight Thib thanked the “good samaritans” who stopped to help first responders, adding the victims received “immediate care” at the scene.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his thoughts are with “the families and loved ones of the children who were killed in the tragic collision that took place yesterday in Mapleton Township, and with those currently being cared for in hospital.”

“This heartbreaking loss is being felt across the community and the entire province,” he wrote in a social media post shared Saturday afternoon. “Let’s all stand together with those who are grieving during this terrible time.”