A Japanese couple and their 16-year-old son died when their van collided head-on with a pickup truck in northern Arizona on Friday, media reports said. Their 9-year-old daughter was injured.
The driver of the truck, under pursuit by police, crossed the center line and crashed into the family's van, killing Tomohiro Hirayama, 50, his wife, Sachiyo, 42, and their son, Yuki, the reports said. Their daughter, Rinka, was hospitalized in serious condition in Arizona, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The family, residents of Lincolnshire, Illinois, were taking a trip during the children's spring break. They were traveling on U.S. Route 160 heading west toward Tuba City in the general direction of the Grand Canyon, police reportedly said.
The Foreign Ministry has confirmed their Japanese nationality. The pickup truck hit the Hirayamas' van head-on and burst into flames, killing its two occupants, who were not immediately identified, police reportedly said.
