Multiple people killed in crash involving University of the Southwest’s golf teams

A vehicle carrying members of the University of the Southwest’s golf teams collided head-on with a pickup truck in West Texas, killing multiple people, authorities said.

The vehicles collided Tuesday night in Andrews County and Sgt. Steven Blanco of the Texas Department of Public Safety told KWES-TV there were fatalities in both vehicles, but the number of dead wasn’t immediately released.

“It’s a very tragic scene,” Blanco said. “It’s very, very tragic.”

University president Quint Thurman said in a statement that Tyler James, who coached the men’s and women’s golf teams, was among those killed.

“We are still learning the details about the accident, but we are devastated and deeply saddened to learn about the loss of our students’ lives and their coach,” Thurman said, adding that two students had been airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries.

The 17-passenger vehicle was transporting members of the men’s and women’s golf teams from a golf tournament, Blanco said, and the other vehicle involved was a Ford F-150.

The teams had been scheduled to play in a tournament Tuesday at Midland College, about 315 miles west of Dallas.

The University of the Southwest is a private, Christian college located in Hobbs, New Mexico, near the state’s border with Texas.

The university said on Twitter that it was working to notify family members of those involved in the crash, and counseling and religious services would be available on campus.

The crash was under investigation, Blanco said, and details about the number of people in each vehicle weren’t immediately released. The roadway where the crash occurred was closed early Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report