Six high school students were killed in an accident Tuesday when the vehicle they were traveling in collided with a semi-truck in Tishomingo, Okla., a rural town about 120 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, authorities said.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol did not immediately release the names of the students, but they were all girls and in the “small passenger vehicle,” Sarah Stewart, a spokeswoman for the agency, said in an email.
The condition of the driver of the truck was not immediately known. The crash, which is under investigation, occurred at the intersection of U.S. Highway 377 and State Highway 22 around 12:30 p.m., Ms. Stewart said.
Bobby Waitman, the superintendent of Tishomingo Public Schools, said in an interview that the six students all attended Tishomingo High School, which has about 240 students and is one of three schools in the district, which also includes a high school and an elementary school. includes.
“This is a community that supports each other,” he said. “It’s a very close-knit community, so the whole community will mourn the loss of these young people.”
mr. Waitman said he was waiting for more information about the highway patrol crash. “Our hearts are broken,” he said in a statement to parents and community members.
“We currently have tutors available for students,” he said. “We’ve also prepared space at Tishomingo High School with counselors available throughout the evening.” He said the school would be open on Wednesday, with the main aim of supporting the emotional needs of students.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said on social media the highway was reopened to traffic as of Tuesday afternoon.
“Our prayers are with each of the families involved and our community,” the statement said. “This is an absolute tragedy that will have lifelong consequences. This community and families need our support and prayers right now.”
The crash happened a week after a 13-year-old boy was behind the wheel of a pickup truck that hit a van in West Texas, in a crash that killed nine people. The dead included a University of the Southwest golf coach and six of his players, along with the boy and a man traveling with him, officials said.
