A car on Monday afternoon smashed through a building, killing four young people and injuring several others during an after-school program in a small city outside of Springfield, Illinois, police said.
Officers responded at about 3:20pm to calls about a vehicle ramming through the building, fatally hitting four people before exiting the other side, Chatham Police Department Deputy Chief Scott Tarter said.
Those killed were between the ages of 4 and 18, Illinois State Police said in a statement.
Photo: WCIA via AP
Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon identified the victims as “female students,” saying their identities would be released after family members are notified. Several other people were hurt and taken to hospital.
It was not immediately known what led to the crash or whether it was intentional.
Monday’s crash is the latest instance of people driving vehicles into groups of people across the globe. Only two days earlier, a car plowed through a crowded street during a Filipino heritage festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, killing 11.
The Illinois driver, who was uninjured, was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was taken to a hospital for evaluation, Tarter said.
Police have not said if the driver was arrested or taken into custody.
“I am horrified and deeply saddened by the deaths of children and numerous injuries in Chatham this afternoon,” Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said in a statement. “My heart is heavy for these families and the unimaginable grief they’re experiencing — something that no parent should ever have to endure.”
He said his office was monitoring the situation and was ready to lend support.
The struck building and facilities house Youth Needing Other Things Outdoors, which holds after-school programs and summer camps, according to its Web site.
As evening fell, police cars with lights flashing still blocked streets leading to the building.
“A terrible tragedy has occurred here that has affected all of us,” the Chatham Police Department said on social media.
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