Three meteorology students at the University of Oklahoma were killed in a car crash on Friday as they were traveling back from storm chasing, authorities reported.
Gavin Short, 19, of Grayslake, Illinois, Nicholas Nair, 20, of Denton, Texas, and Drake Brooks, 22, of Evansville, Indiana, were observing the tornado that had ripped through Kansas, damaging hundreds of homes and buildings.
The three were heading back to their campus when they died in the crash just before 11:30 p.m. on Friday, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Nair was driving the car southbound on Interstate 35 when it hydroplaned and was struck by a tractor-trailer rig about 85 miles north of Oklahoma City, the highway patrol reported.
The University of Oklahoma shared in a statement that the school was “devastated” by the loss of the three men.
“The university is devastated to learn of the tragic passing of three students,” the statement said. “Each were valued and loved members of our community.”
The tornado the students were chasing swept through Andover on Friday, with more than 1,000 buildings being affected and 15,000 people being left without power.
The National Weather Service reported that along with the tornadoes was large hail which fell in several towns across the Plains.
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