Five people believed to be college freshmen are dead after the vehicle carrying them crashed into a guardrail and fell into the sea in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung, police and firefighters said Tuesday.

It appears to have struck the structure before falling into the waters on a coastal road in Okgye county, Gangneung, 237 kilometers east of Seoul, according to the district police.

A 119 call came in at about 6:30 a.m. that a car was drifting in the waters.

The Coast Guard pulled a white Hyundai Kona out of the sea, with three men and two women in the car. Police confirmed their deaths and have so far identified four of them.

The victims, believed to be college freshmen in their 20s, had rented the vehicle.

Authorities are investigating the scene to figure out the exact cause.

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