TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An electric vehicle crashed into a highway divider on the National Highway 1 exit ramp near the Yangmei rest stop on Saturday evening, bursting into flames and killing the driver and three children, while the driver’s wife and three other children were left in critical condition.

The 40-year-old male driver, surnamed Ni (倪), was traveling with his 39-year-old wife, surnamed Chan (展), their three children, and three relatives' children to visit family ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, per CNA.

The accident occurred at approximately 8 p.m., and the electric vehicle caught fire shortly after. Firefighters extinguished the blaze roughly 30 minutes later. Tragically, Ni’s 10-year-old son, 4-year-old daughter, and a 2-year-old boy surnamed Chan succumbed to their injuries after being rushed to the hospital.

Among the survivors, Ni’s wife remains in a coma as of early Sunday, while their 8-year-old son is intubated. An 11-year-old girl surnamed Wu (吳) is being treated for burns, while a 4-year-old boy surnamed Chan (展) is fully conscious.

The vehicle involved in the crash was reported to be a Hyundai Ioniq 5, a fully electric mid-size car designed to seat five passengers. At the time of the crash, the vehicle appeared to be overloaded with eight occupants.

The exit ramp where the accident occurred is designed with guardrails and a concrete divider to split traffic into two directions. The outer lane connects to the Yangmei rest stop, while the inner lane leads to a local street.