The three students were returning from a storm chase in Kansas, OHP spokeswoman Sarah Stewart told CNN.
Drake Brooks, 22, Nicholas Nair, 20, and Gavin Short, 19, died on the spot in Kay County, Oklahoma, south of the Kansas border and about 70 miles from the Wichita area, where a powerful tornado leveled dozens of buildings.
The weather was rainy and the roads were wet during the students’ accident, the OHP reported.
All three were students at the University College of Atmospheric and Geographical Sciences.
Daniel Carter, a student at the University of Oklahoma who was friends with the victims, told CNN that Brooks, Nair and Short were in an app that showed their location. When Carter noticed that they had not been moving from the same spot on the highway for more than half an hour on Friday night, he said he hoped they were stuck in traffic.
But Carter and his friends began calling every hospital within a 200-mile radius, he said. About six hours later, they learned that their friends had died.
“We grieve,” Carter said. “All three of these boys were a light to the world.”
A video posted on social media on Friday from the accounts of Nick Nair and Gavin Short shows an apparent tornado near Herrington, Kansas, about 70 miles northeast of Wichita.
Joseph Harros Jr., president of the university, said “there are no words to express the deep sadness that exists in #OUFamily today.” In a separate statement, the College of Atmospheric and Geographical Sciences said their community is “multi-family” and called on students to “come together in kindness and heartfelt support for each other.” In a tribute posted on Facebook, Carter described Short as “one of the smartest “and the smartest people he’s ever met.” He made me smile every time I saw him, “Carter said.
Carter describes Nair as very popular. He told CNN that many people call Nair “Mr. OU” because “wherever he goes, he will have to stop and talk to people he knows.”
And although Carter said he didn’t know Brooks as well as the others, they had shared a few conversations about time and video games.
“These three young men are people I strive to be every day,” Carter wrote in his honor.
A university spokesman said the storm chase trip was not sponsored by the school.
“The university was devastated when it learned of the tragic deaths of three students,” the university said in a statement. “Everyone was valued and loved by members of our community. We are now asking the public to respect the privacy of their families. “
The accident is under investigation, according to OHP.
CNN’s Sharif Paget contributed to this report.
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