At least four students were killed and another six people injured after an SUV plowed through an afterschool program in a community 12 miles south of Springfield, Illinois, police said.None of the victims have been identified, but Chatham Police Deputy Chief Scott Tarter confirmed those killed were all female, with ages ranging from 4 to 18 years old. They were all at the YNOT — which stands for “Youth Needing Other Things” — Outdoors Summer and After School Camp in Chatham when a vehicle crashed into the east side of the building on Monday around 3:20 p.m.Tarter said the SUV struck multiple people before it slammed into another wall and exited through the west side of the building.Four girls — two 7-year-olds, an 8-year-old and an 18-year-old — were all pronounced dead on the scene, police said in an update Tuesday morning.The unidentified driver, who was the only person inside the SUV, was meanwhile taken to a local hospital for evaluation but was not injured.No charges have yet been filed in connection with the crash.Gov. JB Pritzker said he was left “horrified and deeply saddened” by the deadly incident and offered his “prayers and deepest condolences to everyone impacted by this unspeakable tragedy.“Our community lost a group of bright and innocent young people with their whole lives ahead of them,” he said in a statement.“Parents said goodbye to their kids this morning not knowing it would be the last time,” Pritzker continued. “My heart is heavy for these families and the unimaginable grief they’re experiencing – something that no parent should ever have to endure.”In a note posted on its website, YNOT asked the community to keep “the families of Chatham YNOT and our staff in your prayers.”“We sure could use them,” it added.YNOT was established in 2002, offering an afterschool program with “3-hour, post-dismissal, latch-key care” for all students from elementary through high school. It also has a summer program.
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