Family and friends are mourning the deaths of three young women, killed when a tractor-trailer struck the back of their car in eastern Ontario.

The Ontario Provincial Police say the crash occurred about 9:30 p.m. on Friday about four kilometres south of Warkworth, which is northeast of Cobourg.

Investigators say the women were travelling north on County Road 25, pulled onto the shoulder, then tried to make a U-turn when the northbound rig smashed into their vehicle.

The victims have been identified as Erin Reed, 19, Robyn Taylor, 20, and Kandas Derry, 20. All three died on the scene.

"I'm heart-broken," Brenda Barrett, a family friend of Reed, told The Canadian Press. "She comes from a beautiful, wonderful family and she will be greatly missed by everyone."

She said both Reed and her friend Taylor had been at Barrett's home Thursday, babysitting her youngest son.

All three victims were from the area and police say that two of them weren't wearing seatbelts.

The driver of the truck escaped injury, but his vehicle went into a ditch and rolled onto its side.

With files from The Canadian Press