Five students have died in a fiery car crash while they were travelling out of state to visit a bible college.
The car in which the students were travelling was involved in a pile-up on a Wyoming Interstate, after a Dodge Ram 3500 truck drive drove the wrong way down the road and crashed into a commercial truck and car.
They had been headed home to Arkansas from Jackson Hole shortly before 7pm on Sunday after visiting Jackson Hole Bible College, according to Faith Bible Fellowship Church.
When the Dodge Ram crashed into the two oncoming vehicles, another commercial truck tried to swerve out of the way into the median but crashed into an Ford F-150 that the students were inside.
The commercial truck hit the Ford head-on as it was trying to merge onto the eastbound highway from the median, explained the highway patrol.
Both vehicles became engulfed in flames as a result of the crash.
“The driver of the Dodge, who was driving the wrong way, has been arrested on suspicion of impairment and may receive future charges as the investigation unfolds,” the highway patrol said.
The five students died at the scene of the crash.
Several other victims suffered critical injuries and were transported to the hospital.
Local high school, Sylvan Hills, named them as Salomon Correa, Magdalene (Maggie) Franco, Andrea Prime, Susanna (Suzy) Prime, and Ava Luplow.
Susanna Prime and Luplow were current students at the school, while Andrea Prime, Correa, and Franco were recent graduates.
Sylvan Hills expressed condolences on Facebook over the students’ young lives being lost.
“Our thoughts are with the families and school community as they grieve the loss of such young lives. You all will be greatly missed,” the post said.
Several fellow classmates spoke to local news stations about the devastating loss.
Lydia VanderVate, who grew up with the students, told NBC Little Rock KARK: “They all had such bubbly personalities, could get along, always laughing with each other.”