Five youngsters died in a horrific car crash in Scarsdale, New York at around 12:20 a.m. on Sunday, March 19. The victims and the lone survivor were all siblings and cousins, reports state.

According to the authorities, a 16-year-old was driving the Nissan Rogue on the Hutchinson River Parkway, on their way back from a mall.  The vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a tree just past the Mamaroneck Road exit in Westchester County. Then the car burst into flames, killing all but one of the passengers.

The victims’ ages ranged from 8 to 17, four of them male and one female, and all were relatives from Derby, Connecticut. A nine-year-old boy, who had been in the cargo/hatchback area of the SUV managed to escape through the back.  He was immediately taken to Westchester Medical Center. His injuries were not life-threatening and his condition is currently stable.

Authorities identified the victims as Malik Smith, 16, Anthony Billips Jr., 17, Zahnyiah Cross, 12, Shawnell Cross, 11, and Andrew Billips, 8.

At a Monday news conference, police said the driver, 16-year-old Malik Smith, did not have a driver’s license or a permit.

According to Matt Conway, superintendent of schools in Derby, Connecticut, the children had just recently moved there from New York City and therefore were not yet enrolled in the schools there. He said he had been in touch with the father of the boy who survived and had offered to inform him of the support the community can provide. He said that it is unimaginable to have to bury not one, but five children.