Four children between the ages of 4 and 18 died on Monday afternoon when a car crashed into a after-school camp in Chatham, Illinois, authorities said, UNN reports, citing NBC News.
Details
Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said in a statement Monday evening that the victims were "four female students" who were pronounced dead at the scene. Three of the victims were outside the building and one was inside, the state police said.
Authorities did not say whether they believe the crash was intentional.
An examination of the victims' bodies was expected to be conducted on Tuesday as part of the investigation into the incident, Allmon said. The victims will be announced after family members have been notified of their deaths, the coroner said.
According to officials, several other people were injured, including one person who was taken to the hospital by helicopter.
According to state police, the car drove into the eastern part of the building used by the YNOT after-school camp at about 3:20 p.m. local time. It hit several people inside and exited through the west wall of the building, the department said.
The driver, who was the only person in the car, was hospitalized.
State police said the crash is under investigation.
In-person classes were canceled on Tuesday at the Ball-Chatham School District campuses, where an online learning day was declared instead to focus "exclusively on the emotional well-being of everyone in the Ball-Chatham community," spokesman Danny Frey said in a statement.
Chatham, south of Springfield, has a population of over 14,000.