SUV plunges into canal, killing 7 people inside

updated 2:56 a.m. ET Nov. 19, 2007

KETTLEMAN CITY, Calif. - A sport utility vehicle ran off a Central California road and landed upside down in a canal, killing seven people inside, including four children and a baby, authorities said Sunday.

The SUV was going more than 55 mph Saturday night near Kettleman City, about 50 miles south of Fresno, when the driver, Sergia Olvera, 31, lost control, said Officer Joseph Miller of the California Highway Patrol.

The vehicle ran up a dirt embankment, rolled and landed upside down in the canal with 5 feet of water, Miller said.

"There were no child seats in the vehicle, and there was no evidence that any seat belts were used," Miller said.

Survivor Dalia Olvera, 23, had moderate injuries, and 10-year-old Esmerelda Pompa was not injured, Miller said.

All of the victims were from Earlimart, about 50 miles from the site of the accident.

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