Three students and three adults are killed and 15 other children are injured after a truck crashes into a school bus in Ohio, causing a highway inferno

Six people were killed and 18 injured after a school bus and a truck collided on an Ohio highway Tuesday morning.

Five vehicles were involved in the crash, which occurred shortly before 9 a.m. on Interstate 70 West in Licking County, near the Smoke Road underpass.

Three of the dead were students from Tuscarawas Valley Local Schools in Zoarville, and three were adult staff members traveling in another vehicle. Their vehicles were en route to an Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus. The high school band was scheduled to perform at the conference.

The three students were named by local media as John W. Mosley, 18; Jeffrey D. Worrell, 18; and 15-year-old Katelyn Owens.

The three adults, all in the same car, were all staff members of the school and were named Dave Kennat, 56; Kristy Gaynor, 39; and Shannon Wigfield, 45.

Mosley, who went by Wyatt, was named Fine Arts Student of the Month last month.

His profile on the student website noted that the 18-year-old was a member of the TVHS Marching Band, Select Choir, Drama Club and Track team, and was recently selected to participate in the Ohio Music Educators Association All-State Choir.

‘His hobbies are singing, programming and sports. After graduation, Wyatt plans to take a gap year to pursue an acting career and then attend college for computer programming,” the school wrote.

Worrell, who went by JD, won the Fine Art award in May.

He was described as a member of the TVHS Marching & Concert Bands, Select Choir, Dram Club, Speech & Debate team and the Pep Club.

Worrell hoped to study psychology and vocal music, or find work as voice-overs or voice actors.

The truck crashed into the back of the bus, causing a huge fire and completely destroying the truck.

Sean Grady, director of the Licking County Emergency Management Agency, said the charter bus was transporting students from a school in eastern Ohio. There were a total of 57 people on board, he said.

Images from the scene show the back of the bus completely engulfed in flames.

Fifteen of the 18 injured are believed to be juveniles, and Tuscarawas Valley Local Schools said there may have been “serious injuries” among the students.

Other footage captured by traffic cameras and shared by the Ohio Department of Transportation shows emergency response at the scene.

Thick plumes of smoke are coming from the two vehicles as emergency services work on the scene.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said his prayers go out to everyone involved in the crash and their families and ordered flags to be flown at half-staff.

“This is our worst nightmare when we have a bus full of children involved in an accident and certainly the worst nightmare that families can go through or a school can go through,” he said.

He said the investigation into the crash will continue for some time. By 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the eastbound highway had reopened, but the westbound highway remained closed.

The bus was transporting students and chaperones from Tuscarawas Valley to an Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus, Superintendent Derek Varansky said.

In a post on Facebook, Varansky said, “Today a charter bus carrying Tusky Valley students and chaperones en route to the Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus was involved in a very serious accident.

‘We understand from police that there may be several serious injuries and we are working to find out the details.

‘We will share as much news with you as possible, including our plans for upcoming school days and events.

“Right now, our focus is on connecting with our Tusky Valley families who had loved ones on the bus and providing support to our entire school community.

“Our Trojan family is strong, and that strength and love will be needed to get through the challenging days ahead.”

Images captured by 10TV shows how the rear of the bus was hit by the worst of the flames, while the semi-truck was completely destroyed by fire.

A witness told it ABC6 that her 10-year-old granddaughter was very upset.

“They said they saw a firefighter enter the burning bus just before it exploded,” the grandmother said.

Chris McNeal, a truck driver, called the wreck “catastrophic.”

He told ABC affiliate WSYX: “They had a ladder in one window. It looked like they were sitting in the back of the bus and trying to pull some people away.

“One tractor-trailer was completely burned out; there is a car that is completely destroyed and burnt out.”

The bus involved in the accident belongs to Pioneer Trails, a family-owned business that has been operating out of Millersburg for 40 years. The Columbus Dispatch reported.

Pioneer Trails said in a statement that the company is “fully cooperating with authorities as we work to determine the cause of the accident” and is praying for the victims and their families.

Mickey Lymon, an investigator with the Licking County Coroner’s Office, said they were called to the scene but deferred other questions to state police.

The American Red Cross of Central and Southern Ohio said it has fulfilled a request for more blood from one area hospital by sending 30 units to a hospital in the Mount Carmel Health System, said Marita Salkowski, regional director communication.

A center was set up at a United Methodist Church in Etna where bus passengers who did not need medical attention could visit and connect with their loved ones, she said.