Two Texas high school seniors died and two others were injured Tuesday in a rollover accident as they left their graduation rehearsal, according to officials.
The four students at W.B. Ray High School had attended the rehearsal at the American Bank Center Tuesday morning and were traveling back to school when they got into the accident, the Corpus Christi Independent School District said.
The names of the students were not released.
Police responded to the crash in the 2300 block of North Port Avenue around 11:25 a.m. and found four males in a two-door vehicle on its roof, The Corpus Christi Caller Times reported, citing police.
The two injured students were taken to a local hospital for their injuries, the local paper reported.
The crash is under investigation and officers believe speed was a factor in the accident, Corpus Christi Police Senior Officer Travis Pace said to The Caller.
NBC News has reached out to Corpus Christi Police for further details on the accident.
The graduation ceremony is slated for Friday at 2 p.m. local time. Chairs will be reserved in honor of the students who passed away, the district said.
“Our Texan community is devastated by this loss of our graduating seniors,” said Principal Roxanne Cuevas. “Our hearts go out to all the loved ones affected by this tragedy.”
The district’s crisis counseling team will provide support to students and staff at Ray High school, with counselors available across the district as well.
“We want to express our deepest condolences to the families of the two seniors we lost today,” District Superintendent Dr. Roland Hernandez said “We appreciate our community’s prayers for our district during what continues to be an incredibly challenging time for us as well as for educators across the nation.”
Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo said: “I am heartbroken.”
“Today the City of Corpus Christi mourns the loss of the W. B. Ray High School graduating seniors who tragically lost their lives in a car accident after leaving graduation rehearsal,” she said in a statement on Facebook.
A candlelight prayer vigil is slated for Thursday at 7: 30 p.m. local time at Heritage Park.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
