Two young children were killed in a crash on Route 8 in Beacon Falls on Sunday afternoon.

Connecticut State Police said the crash was reported just before 3:30 p.m. on Route 8 North about a half mile past Exit 23 where a 40-year-old Oxford man, driving a Ford F-600 Super Duty pickup truck, struck the rear of a Honda Civic occupied by two adults and two children, ages 6 and 3.

Both motorists had been driving in the left lane before the collision, after which both vehicles ended up in an area between the left shoulder and left lane up against a concrete barrier just north of where the crash happened, according to state police.

Following the crash, 6-year-old Laura Vitoria Alves Brito and 3-year-old Riquelme Alves Brito of Bridgeport were taken to Waterbury Hospital, where they were pronounced dead, state police said.

The driver of the Civic, a 33-year-old Stratford man, was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital for what state police described as suspected serious injuries. A passenger in the front seat of the Civic, a 25-year-old Bridgeport woman, was taken to Waterbury Hospital for suspected serious injuries, state police said.

The driver of the pickup truck was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital for what were suspected to be minor injuries, according to state police.

State police are investigating the crash and asking any witnesses or individuals with information to contact Trooper Daniel McCue from Troop I at 203-393-4200 or Daniel.mccue@ct.gov.