Six high school students in Oklahoma died when the vehicle they were traveling in collided with a semi-truck hauling rocks, according to tragic reports.
As per NBC, the students were heading off campus during their lunch break at the time of the accident. A spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety said the students – who were all girls – were between the ages of 15 and 17.
The Daily Mail identified the victims as Gracie Machado, Brooklyn Triplett, Austin Holt, Madison Robertson, Addison Gratz and Memory Wilson. Five of the six victims are said to have been from the small town of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, which has a population of around 3,000.
The 16-year-old driver of the Chevrolet Spark that the girls were driving in, meanwhile, was from Connerville, according to the highway patrol. Highway Patrol Trooper Shelby Humphrey said on Tuesday night that the girls’ car was making a right turn when it collided with the truck.
Four of the passengers were pronounced dead at the scene, with the remaining two girls later succumbing to their injuries.
Tishomingo Public Schools Superintendent Bobby Waitman confirmed that the students attended the same local high school. He said their deaths had caused shockwaves around the community.
“We love all of our students,” he said. “We’re experiencing this loss with them.”
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt described it as a “sad day” for the state.
51-year-old Valendon Burton, of Burneyville, was identified as the driver of the truck, which was hauling rocks at the time of the incident. He escaped the accident without injury.
My heart goes out to the poor families of these teenagers. No one should ever have to even contemplate such a loss, let alone live it.
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