TISHOMINGO, Okla. — An Oklahoma high school is mourning the loss of six students killed Tuesday afternoon after their vehicle collided with a semi, KOKI-TV reported.
Officials with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol confirmed to the TV station that all six of the vehicle’s occupants were female students at Tishomingo High School students and that all six died.
OHP spokesperson Sarah Stewart confirmed to The Associated Press that the crash occurred about 12:30 p.m. local time. She was unable, however, to provide the exact ages of the students killed or the condition of the semi driver.
The girls were traveling eastbound on Oklahoma 22 when their car was struck by a rock hauler that was approaching from the east on U.S. 377, OHP Trooper Shelby Humphrey told KXII-TV.
According to troopers, the girls stopped at a stop sign, attempted to make a U-turn and were struck by the truck. The force of the collision moved the car about 30 yards from the intersection, the TV station reported.
Images from the scene of the crash showed a virtually destroyed black vehicle with what appeared to be a pink steering wheel among the rubble, the AP reported.
Tishomingo is a rural city with about 3,000 residents located roughly 100 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
Tishomingo Public School Superintendent Bobby Waitman confirmed the “great loss” in a Facebook post, noting that counselors will be available throughout the night Tuesday and on campus at the high school when classes resume Wednesday, KOKI reported.
“Our hearts are broken, and we are grieving with our students and staff,” Waitman wrote, noting that Wednesday’s focus will remain squarely on the “the emotional well-being of our students.”
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.