Local church van involved in fatal Florida crash

A spokesperson for Avoyelles House of Mercy has confirmed to Avoyelles Today through social media that the Marksville church's members were involved in the fiery crash on I-75 near Gainesville, Fla. No other information is available at this time. The names of the seven victims killed and the many others injured have not been released by Florida Highway Patrol.

Many of the victims's family members left Avoyelles yesterday evening and have begun arriving in Gainesville this morning.

A volunteer at the church told avoyellestoday "This is the worst thing that has ever happened to us. We have lost half of our children".

The church van was involved in the four vehicle crash, and was carrying young members of the church on a trip to Disney World. They had been raising funds in past months for the trip.