Two people killed in a crash on Highway 401 near Ayr were international students from King's University College.
The Western affiliate issued a statement Tuesday stating the King's community is deeply mourning the loss of the two students from China.
The two-vehicle crash happened in the eastbound lanes of the highway west of Trussler Road just before 10:30 a.m. on Monday. A pickup truck collided with a minivan carrying six people. Two people from the van were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. They were later pronounced dead. Two other people from the van, also international students at King's, were also hurt. One suffered serious injuries, while the other had minor injuries.
King's and Western University International have been in contact with the students' families and are said to be offering them "all the support we have at this difficult time."
The names of the two students killed have not been released, but were enrolled in first year social sciences, King's confirmed.
"We grieve the loss of these young lives. This is a great shock and tragedy for King’s and for the wider Western University community. These were people devoted to studying in Canada. We are deeply saddened and our sympathies are for the families and friends of all those who are impacted by this tragedy,” King's President Dr. David Malloy said in a statement. “We have lowered our flags and will be doing more in the coming days. We are also working with the Canadian government and embassies to expedite any travel requirements for the families to get here from China as quickly as possible.”
King's is offering counselling services to students, staff, and faculty in the wake of the crash. In-class supports will be offered to students when they return from reading week on Monday.
"We ask the King’s community to join in prayer for those who have died, those who are injured, their families, and for all those impacted by these sudden and tragic losses," the university college said.
OPP continue to investigate the cause of the collision.
