The identities of the two Oakham School students killed in a collision between a bus and a car on the afternoon of Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 have been released. Anna Haefeli, 18 years old, and Anastasia Besedovskaya, 17 years old, both lost their lives when the car they were traveling in collided with a bus in Tickencote, Rutland in the United Kingdom. The exact cause of the crash is not yet known.
The two girls were students at a nearby boarding school and were finishing their final year at the institution. The crash occurred on Empingham Lane and led to road closures, but all roadways have since been re-opened. It is not known whether alcohol or drugs may have been a factor in the accident. Several passengers traveling on the bus at the time of the crash have reported minor injuries, as did the driver of the bus. All injured parties are being treated at area hospitals, though all are expected to recover and no other fatalities have occurred as a result of the incident.
Oakham School cancelled events set to take place on Saturday in an effort to pay tribute to the memory of its fallen students. Officials with the school declined to release information regarding the incident to the press, stating that they had been advised by police to keep the details to themselves pending notification of the accident and its tragic results to the girls’ family members. Friends of the two teens flooded social media with memorial commentary.
Police have stated that the bus and car were traveling toward one another on opposite sides of the road when the crash took place. Investigators are pleading with any witnesses to the accident to come forward with their stories, so that they may gain enough information to determine what may have caused the incident.