Three students, two parent chaperones, and a teacher were killed in a fatal five-vehicle crash on Interstate 70 in central Ohio.
The bus, transporting high school band members from the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District in northern Ohio, and the SUV were involved in the crash on I-70 in Etna, about 19 miles east of the students' destination, Columbus, authorities said.
The number of people injured was not specified. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, 18 people were brought to hospitals, including 15 kids and the bus driver. According to the school district, 20 children were brought to hospitals.
The students who died were "bright lights full of life who lost their lives way too young," Tuscarawas Valley Local School District Superintendent Derek Varansky told those gathering for a Tuesday night vigil in Zoarville, Ohio.
"Today began as an exciting day as our high school band would travel to Columbus to present at the Ohio School Boards Association conference -- a once in a lifetime event -- and then it quickly turned into the darkest day, one of the darkest days in our district's history and the worst day of my life," he told the audience.
D.J. Hayden of the Oakland Raiders goes onto the field before an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, in Cleveland.
Three teenagers on the bus, John W. Mosely, 18, of Mineral City, Ohio; Jeffery D. Worrell, 18, of Bolivar; and Katelyn N. Owens, 15, of Mineral City, were killed, as were three people riding in another vehicle, Dave Kennat, 56, of Navarre; Kristy Gaynor, 39, of Zoar; and Shannon Wigfield, 45, of Bolivar, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
According to the traffic patrol, all six died at the spot. According to the highway patrol, the bus was involved in a chain-reaction crash involving two commercial and two passenger vehicles. In addition to the 16 persons injured on the bus, the drivers of one commercial car and one private vehicle sustained injuries and were sent to the hospital.
