ETNA, Ohio — A devastating accident occurred on Tuesday morning when a semitruck rear-ended a charter bus carrying high school students on an Ohio highway. Tragically, six people lost their lives, and another 18 sustained injuries in the collision, according to officials.

The crash involved a total of five vehicles, including a Pioneer Trails charter bus from the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District in eastern Ohio, as confirmed by Licking County Emergency Management Agency Director Sean Grady.

Tragically, three passengers on the bus, identified as John W. Mosely (18) from Mineral City, Jeffery D. Worrell (18) from Bolivar, and Katelyn N. Owens (15) from Mineral City, were pronounced dead at the scene, as reported by the Ohio State Highway Patrol on Tuesday night.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine expressed his grief during a news conference at the scene, saying, “This is our worst nightmare when we have a bus full of children involved in a crash. Prayers go out to the families, everyone who was on the bus.”

Fifteen students and the bus driver were transported to nearby hospitals, while other students were taken to a reunification site, officials confirmed.

All three individuals in one of the passenger vehicles involved in the accident were also pronounced dead at the scene. They were identified as Dave Kennat (56) from Navarre, Kristy Gaynor (39) from Zoar, and Shannon Wigfield (45) from Bolivar.

The driver of the other passenger vehicle was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. Among the drivers of the commercial vehicles involved, one was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the other was treated at the scene, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The tragic incident occurred on I-70 in Licking County, approximately 26 miles (42 kilometers) east of Columbus. The accident involved a chain-reaction collision, leading to subsequent fires in at least three vehicles, as reported by the highway patrol. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, and a team from the National Transportation Safety Board is en route to the scene.

The ill-fated bus was transporting students and chaperones from the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District to an Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus, according to Tuscarawas Valley Superintendent Derek Varansky.

Superintendent Varansky expressed his concern, stating in a Facebook post, “Right now, our focus is on getting in touch with our Tusky Valley families who had loved ones on the bus and providing support to our entire school community.”

Upon learning of the crash, the organizers of the Ohio School Boards Association conference decided to cancel the event, as confirmed by spokesperson Jeff Chambers.

Pioneer Trails, the company operating the charter bus, offered condolences to those affected by the crash and assured cooperation with authorities. However, they declined to provide further comments, citing the ongoing investigation.

In response to the tragic incident, the American Red Cross sent 30 units of blood to a hospital in the Mount Carmel Health System to aid the victims, according to Marita Salkowski, the regional communications director for the American Red Cross of Central and Southern Ohio. Furthermore, a center was established at a United Methodist Church in Etna to facilitate communication for bus passengers who did not require medical attention.

As concerned parents gathered at the Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School parking lot, school officials provided support and information before parents went inside to pick up their children, as reported by the Columbus Dispatch.

One of the parents, Laurie Fragasse, expressed her distress, stating, “I’m sick. I’m sick to my stomach,” as she picked up her daughter.

Numerous emergency workers responded to the tragic crash, with Ohio Department of Transportation cameras capturing smoke billowing from the site. Police officers also blocked nearby entrance ramps to I-70 East and West, causing increased traffic on the road leading to the interstate.

This collision in Ohio marks the second recent fatal crash in the United States involving high school students on a charter bus. In September, a similar incident occurred in New York when a charter bus carrying students to band camp veered off a highway, resulting in two fatalities and multiple injuries.