Four people, including two children, were fatally struck by a vehicle Tuesday night in the Southern California city of Escondido, police said.
The pedestrians were walking together when they were struck by the 2014 Mazda3 shortly before 8:30 p.m. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene, and the others were rushed to a hospital, where they died, police Lt. Scott Walters said.
"Huge tragedy here. This is awful," Walters said early Wednesday.
The victims included a man and a woman and two boys who are thought to be 10 to 12 years old, Walters said. Their relationship was not immediately known, he said.
The driver was identified as a 28-year-old woman who is an Escondido resident, who was transported to a hospital with moderate injuries.
Drugs or alcohol did not appear to be a factor, Walters said, and no arrests had been made late Tuesday.
The crash, at San Pasqual Valley Road and Oak Hill Drive, was under investigation.
Escondido is a city of around 151,000 north of San Diego.
