Six high school students died Tuesday in a crash when the car they were in collided with a truck in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, a rural town about 190 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, authorities said.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol did not immediately release the names of the students, but they were all girls and were in a “small passenger car,” Sarah Stewart, a spokeswoman for the agency, said in an email.
The condition of the truck driver was not immediately known. The accident under investigation occurred at the intersection of Highway 377 and State Highway 22 around 12:30 p.m., according to Ms. Stewart.
Bobby Weightman, director of Tishomingo Public Schools, said in an interview that all six students attended Tishomingo High School, which has about 240 students and is one of three schools in the district that also includes a middle school and an elementary school.
“This is a community that supports each other,” he said. “This is a very close-knit community, so the entire community will mourn the loss of these young people.”
Mr. Weightman said he expects more information about the accident from the traffic police. “Our hearts are broken,” he said in an address to parents and community members.
“We currently have advisors available to students,” he said. “We also have a prepared location at Tishomingo High School with counselors available throughout the evening.” He said the school will be open on Wednesday and the focus will be on supporting students’ emotional needs.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media that 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 repercussions for a lifetime. This community and families need our support and prayers at this time.”
The crash comes a week after a 13-year-old boy was driving a pickup truck that crashed into a van in West Texas, killing nine people. The dead included a Southwestern University golf coach and six of his players, as well as a boy and a man traveling with him, officials said.