Three storm chasers were killed in a terrifying crash while racing to catch a tornado in Oklahoma on Friday night. They have been identified as meteorology students of the University of Oklahoma.
The crash took place near the Oklahoma-Kansas border in Tonkawa nearly at midnight 11:30 pm.
Students Posted a Selfie Soon Before Crash
Earlier in the day, the students posted videos on social media showing that twister and clicked a selfie from their vehicle just before the crash.
The students were chasing the severe storm which tore off roofs and overturned cars.
Nicholas Nair, 20, of Denton, Texas, and his two friends Gavin Short and Drake Brooks were traveling south on I-35 when their SUV hydroplaned, went off the road to the right, and then came back onto the interstate, revealed the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
A Semi-Truck Crashed Into Students' Vehicle
Afterward, their vehicle was hit by a semi-truck as had become disabled and blocked the outside lane. They were declared dead at the scene and their bodies were extricated five hours after the crash, according to ABC10.
While the truck driver was released after getting his treatment at a nearby hospital.
Oklahoma University stated that it is devastated to learn of the tragic passing of three students. "All were valued and loved members of our community."
The students had also made posts on their Twitter handles that show they spotted the twister on the ground in Kansas just hours before the crash and posted videos on social media.
"Tornado on the ground passing Highway 77 around 8:10 PM. Four miles north of Herington, Kansas," tweeted Nair before the crash. His post also has a video that shows a storm passing through a nearby highway.
Several other tornadoes also touched down across Nebraska and Kansas as a large storm system swept eastward from the central Rockies into the Midwest.
