Authorities say a van plunged off a roadway near the Bronx Zoo in New York City, killing seven people, including three children.

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The victims are an 84-year-old man, three women aged 80, 45 and 30, and three girls aged 12, 10 and seven according to New York 1.

Police say the van was headed south Sunday afternoon on the Bronx River Parkway, a highway in the city. It bounced off the median, crossed all southbound lanes over to the guardrail and fell
150 fee near  East 177th Street.

It's not clear what caused the van to go out of control.

Zoo officials tell WABC TV the van plunged into a "non-public" area of the Zoo on the southeast perimeter that is not populated by visitors. The area is heavily wooded, which could have hampered rescue efforts, though that's not entirely clear just yet.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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