Two men are dead after their vehicles collided on Highway 1 near Santa Cruz at around 7:42 a.m. on Thursday.

The crash occurred near Swanton Road, when one of the vehicles, a southbound Ford Econoline van driven by a 60-year-old man from San Francisco, crossed into opposing lanes and collided with another vehicle, a northbound Chevy Tahoe.

The driver of the Tahoe, 33-year-old Emilio Lopez from Watsonville, was killed, along with the driver of the Ford. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Two passengers in the Tahoe were also hospitalized with serious injuries.

Highway 1 was closed for several hours following the incident.

Both cars were traveling at about 60 miles per hour at the time of the crash. The cause of the incident remains unclear. Drugs and alcohol are not believed to have been factors.

It is believed that the 60-year-old driver was working for the company Golden Gate Shuttle, and driving a company vehicle, at the time of the crash.

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