What started out as a road-trip from Texas to Disney World ended in tragedy when an SUV flipped over on the side of a Louisiana highway Wednesday night, killing a family of five.

Authorities said the 16-year-old driver was traveling down Interstate 20 near Calhoun at 11 p.m. when he veered to the left onto the median and tried to steer back onto the road, the Associated Press reported.

But the maneuver didn't work and the Chevrolet Tahoe rolled over, killing five of the SUV's eight passengers- a mother, father and their three children ages 4, 7 and 15, police said. The unidentified driver was apparently falling asleep at the wheel before the crash.

"Our heartfelt condolences go out to all of the people affected by this tragic crash," Colonel Mike Edmonson, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, told the AP. "In an instance this family vacation turned into an unspeakable tragedy."

It is not clear when the family left their Terrell, Texas, home to make the 16-hour, 1,050-mile drive to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Judging from the location in Calhoun, they would have been between three and four hours into their trip, the AP reported.

The victims have been identified as Michael and Trudi Hardman, who were both teachers. Their children's names have not yet been released. Ouachita Parish coroners pronounced the family, who were not wearing seat belts, dead on the scene.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family members, colleagues, students and friends," Terrell Independent School District Superintendent Michael French told the AP of Michael Hardman, who taught for two years at a local elementary school.

His wife was a kindergarten teacher in Wills Point Independent School District, the AP reported.

The driver, who had a driver's license, was arrested and charged with reckless operation of a vehicle, police told the AP.