Nine dead in crash involving college golf teams

Nine people are dead after a vehicle collision involving the University of the Southwest’s men’s and women’s golf teams occurred in Texas.

The collision occurred in Andrews County, where a pickup truck and a vehicle carrying members of the golf teams crashed into one another head on after the truck crossed into the vehicle’s lane, The Associated Press reported.

Sgt. Steven Blanco from the Texas Department of Public Safety said six students, a faculty member and two people in the pickup truck died in the collision, per the wire service.

Blanco also said two students were critically injured and flown to a hospital. 

“It’s a very tragic scene,” Blanco said. “It’s very, very tragic.”

The teams were slated to participate in a tournament at Midland College, according to the AP. Midland College said it had canceled Wednesday’s games due to the collision.

The University of the Southwest said in a post on Twitter Wednesday that it was still notifying family members of those in the crash and was providing counseling services to students and faculty. 

“We are still learning the details about the accident but we are devastated and deeply saddened to learn about the loss of our students’ lives and their coach,” University President Quint Thurman said in a statement, the AP reported.