New York authorities are trying to determine what caused an SUV carrying three generations of a family to plunge off a highway and into a ravine on the grounds of the Bronx Zoo, killing the seven people aboard, including three little girls.

Van lies in woods after plunging from Bronx River Parkway
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Police have identified the victims of Sunday’s accident as 85-year-old Jacob Nunez and 81-year-old Ana Julia Martinez, both from the Dominican Republic, their daughters, 45-year-old Maria Gonzalez and 39-year-old Maria Nunez, and three grandchildren. Police say Gonzalez was driving.

Police say the Honda Pilot bounced off the median, crossed three lanes, flew off the Bronx River Parkway, fell more than 50 feet and landed upside-down.

 

A spokesman says it crashed onto a part of zoo property that’s closed to the public and not near exhibits.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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