Two killed in Highway 59 crash near El Nido

Two people were killed Wednesday night in a two-vehicle collision in the area of Highway 59 at West Chamberlain Road in the El Nido area, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The victims were listed as a 55-year-old woman from El Nido and a 54-year-old man from Firebaugh, the CHP said in a news release.

Names of the victims were not immediately available. The Merced County Coroner’s Office on Thursday morning was still attempting to notify families of the victims, Sgt. Delray Shelton said.

A 17-year-old El Nido man was flown to a Modesto hospital with unspecified “moderate” injuries,” the CHP reported.

The crash between a 1989 Ford Ranger pickup truck and a 2000 Ford Windstar van, with two people inside, was reported at 9:17 p.m.

Officers said the pickup, which was driven by the Firebaugh man, was headed north on Highway 59, approaching Chamberlain Road at about 55 mph, while the van was headed south, approaching the pickup.

The CHP said the Firebaugh man made an “unsafe” left turn for unknown reasons, moving directly into the path of the oncoming van and the two vehicles collided. The pickup overturned, coming to a stop on its wheels on the east shoulder of the highway. The van spun onto the west shoulder.

Both victims died at the scene, the CHP said.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

This story was originally published February 4, 2015 at 10:12 PM with the headline "Two killed in Highway 59 crash near El Nido."