UPDATE: Highway Patrol says unlicensed teen was driving in fatal crash

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Highway Patrol says two people from Bladenboro were killed in a morning crash in Bladen county.

It happened around 9:20 on Twisted Hickory Road, south of Elizabethtown.

Highway Patrol says a 17-year-old female without a license was driving a Ford Mustang with four passengers when she lost control of the car, crossed the center line and struck a Ford pickup truck. The driver then ran off the road and hit a ditch. Troopers say three passengers in the back seat, including two children, were not wearing seat belts and were ejected from the vehicle.

Highway Patrol says two adult passengers, a 38-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman, in the Mustang were killed. The driver was airlifted to the hospital. Troopers say the two children are expected to recover.

Two adults were in the pickup truck and were taken to the hospital. Highway Patrol says they will be treated and released.

Troopers remind drivers and passengers to always wear their seat belts and be extra cautious on the roads, as many are traveling for the holiday.