WICHITA, Kansas (AP) – In addition to the wreckage of Hurricane Andover itself on Friday, three University of Oklahoma Meteorological students returning from storm chasers in Kansas were killed in a crash Friday evening, according to officials.

Nicholas Nair, 20, of Denton, Texas; Gavin Short, 19, of Grayslake, Illinois; Drake Brooks, 22, of Evansville, Indiana, died in the crash shortly before 11:30 p.m. Friday, according to an Oklahoma Highway Patrol report.

The three were in a vehicle that Nir was driving south on Interstate 35 when the vehicle skidded and hit an excavator-trailer in Tonkawa, about 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of Oklahoma City, the report said.

A statement from OU said: “The university was devastated when I learned of the tragic death of three students. Each of them was appreciated and loved in our community.”

Copyright 2022 KWCH. All rights reserved.