7 children among 9 killed in a head-on car collision on New Year's Day in California

• Seven children aged between six and 15 were among the nine killed in a car collision in Fresno, California on New Year's Day.
• Emergency crews arrived at around 8pm to find the Ford engulfed with flames and the victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
• It was later confirmed that the Dodge was being driven by Daniel Luna, 28, from Avenal, California while the coroner is still working on identifying the rest of the victims, according to the Fresno Bee.

Seven children aged between six and 15 years old were among nine killed in a car crash in Fresno, California on New Year's Day.

The passengers were from two related families who had been traveling north on State Route 33 in a 2007 Ford F-150 pickup, AP reported.

Meanwhile, a 2013 Dodge was heading southbound on the same highway before veering onto the western dirt shoulder for an unknown reason, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).

CHP Central Division Captain Kevin Clays told ABC30: "The driver failed to maintain control of the vehicle and traveled back across the southbound lane, resulting in a head-on collision."

Emergency crews arrived at around 8pm to find the Ford engulfed with flames and the victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

They also found that there were only five seatbelt restraints in the car which had been carrying eight people, the LA Times reported.

It was later confirmed that the Dodge was being driven by Daniel Luna, 28, from Avenal, California while the coroner is still working on identifying the rest of the victims, according to the Fresno Bee.

The cause of the crash and whether alcohol or drugs were involved is still being investigated, a CHP spokesperson told the LA Times.

The deadly collision came after four people were killed and three were hospitalized in a car crash in Fresno just last weekend.