Five children riding in a Louisiana church van on their way to Disney World were killed Thursday along with two truck drivers in a crash that triggered a raging inferno from spilled diesel on a Florida highway, authorities said.

At least eight people were injured, according to Florida Highway Patrol.

The wreck, which involved the passenger van, a second car and two tractor-trailers, occurred on a clear day along a straight flat stretch of Interstate 75 about a mile south of Alachua, near Gainesville, Florida, the FHP reported.

“It is a heartbreaking event,” Lt. Patrick Riordan told reporters Friday. He said the church passenger van carrying the 5 children, ranging from about 8 to teenagers, was from the Avoyelles Parish in Louisiana.

The van had already been on the road for 700 miles and was about an hour away from the theme park.

In a statement, Jacquee Wahler, a spokesperson for Walt Disney World Resort, said, "There are no words to convey the sorrow we feel for those involved in yesterday’s tragedy. We extend heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones impacted by this tragic accident.”

The Avoyelles House of Mercy in Marksville, Louisiana, confirmed that members of is congregation were involved.

“It’s unbelievable. Everybody is in shock. We lost five of our children,” church member Maxine Doughty said. “We had our Last Supper Sunday, and the pastor said to live our lives like each day is the last day.”

A prayer vigil was set scheduled for Friday night at a worship center in Mansura, according to an announcement on Facebook. "As a community of faith at this time we need to come together and pray," the announcement said.

A letter from the United Pentecostal Church's Louisiana District, posted to Facebook, said that the van carried nine children and three women.

One woman suffered seven broken ribs and a broken collarbone, among cuts and bruises, the letter said. Another woman, who was pregnant, gave birth Thursday night. A third woman was still in a hospital, but was not severely inured.

Four children among the injured were still in a hospital, but "the medical staff feel that all of them will heal and recover," the letter said.

In a post on the church's Facebook page, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., expressed prayers and support for the church and those affected by the "devastating tragedy" for the Marksville community.

Cassidy quoted a volunteer at the church as saying, "We have lost half of our babies."

The highway patrol says a truck driven by Steve Holland, 59, of West Palm Beach, was traveling north in the far-right lane when his truck suddenly veered left and collided with a car driven by Robyn Rattray, 41, of Gainesville.

Both the truck and car went out of control and through the center divider, where Holland’s truck plowed into the church van, driven by Amy Joffiron, 49, causing it to flip several times and eject some of the nine children on board. The highway patrol said it is unknown if any were wearing seatbelts.

Holland’s truck then struck a truck driven by Douglas Bolkema, 49, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, who was also traveling south. Both trucks and Rattray’s car caught fire, and a fifth vehicle hit at least one of the ejected van passengers.

Rattray and Joffiron suffered serious injuries, as did the four surviving children, ages 9 to 14. They remain hospitalized, as did Karen Descant.

Authorities identified the dead children as Joel Cloud and Jeremiah Warren, both 14; Cara Descant, 13; Briena Descant, 10; and Cierra Bordelan, 9. The relationship between the Descant girls and the pastor was not immediately available.

Vinnie DeVita said he was driving south at the time and narrowly escaped the crash – he said it saw it happen in the rearview mirror, immediately behind him, according to a report by WKMG.

“If I had stepped on the brake when I heard the noise, undoubtedly, I would have been in that accident,” DeVita said. “And then within probably 15 to 20 seconds of it all, it exploded. I mean, just a ball of flames.”

The Alachua County Sherriff’s office tweeted that the crash was in the northbound lanes but that the southbound lanes were closed to keep a route open for first responders, saying it “required all hands on deck” and warning “the closure is going to be lengthy.”

The National Transportation Safety Board would normally send a team to help with the investigation, but cannot because of the federal government shutdown.

Riordan said that will not impede the highway patrol’s efforts, which could take months.

Florida Department of Transportation spokesman Troy Roberts said the agency is investigating whether the guardrail should have stopped the northbound crash from crossing the highway or whether the crash was too traumatic.

“The guardrails are there to stop as much as they can, but there are some things they cannot,” Roberts said.

It was the worst accident on I-75 in Alachua County since January 2012, when 11 people died in a chain reaction crash attributed to heavy fog and smoke on the roadway.

Officials were criticized then for not closing the road due to worsening conditions, and later installed cameras, sensors and large electronic signs to help prevent similar crashes.

Contributing: Associated Press