CROFTON, Neb. – Two people from western Iowa have died following an afternoon crash in northeast Nebraska, authorities announced on Tuesday.

Shortly after noon on Tuesday, the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene of a two-vehicle accident at the junction of Highway 81 and Highway 12, approximately four miles east of Crofton.

According to Cedar County Sheriff Larry Koranda, a 2011 Ford F-550 driving by 90-year-old Neil Collins, of Orleans, was southbound on Highway 81, approaching the 81/12 junction, when his vehicle was struck by an eastbound Chevy Malibu driven by 74-year-old William Koontz, of Sioux City, Iowa.

Koontz was pronounced dead at the scene, Koranda said in a press release issued Tuesday afternoon. According to Koranda, Koontz's passenger, 71-year-old Anita Koontz, was transported to Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Collins, who was wearing a seatbelt, was transported to Avera Sacred Heart with minor injuries, Koranda said.

The crash scene investigation was handled by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office. Assistance was provided at the scene by the Nebraska State Patrol, Nebraska Game and Parks, Crofton Fire and EMS, Randolph EMS and the Nebraska Department of Transportation.