4 juveniles, 1 adult killed after wreck sends car off bridge into creek

BATESVILLE, Miss. — Five people, including four juveniles, were killed on Tuesday after their vehicle hit a bridge and fell into a northwestern Mississippi creek, authorities said.

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According to the Panola County Sheriff’s Office, six people were in a vehicle in Batesville, located south of Memphis, at about 10 p.m. CST when it crashed, WHBQ-TV reported.

Sheriff Shane Phelps told the television station that the vehicle ran off the road, hit a bridge and slid into a creek.

A 14-year-old passenger was able to exit the vehicle and call 911, WREG-TV reported.

Killed in the accident were Ti’taiera Webster, 19; Destiny Liphford, 15; Montraz Webster, 14; Earl Holmes, 13, and Jamerian Towns, 12, according to the sheriff’s office.

The 14-year-old passenger survived the crash, WREG reported.

“Hero. Brave. I can’t imagine what she went through and what she’s going through now,” Phelps said, according to WHBQ. “My heart is with that family.”

Deputies said all of the occupants in the vehicle were related, according to WMC-TV.

The victims attended South Panola junior high and high school, WREG reported.

“South Panola School District is heartbroken and saddened by the tragic passing of five of our current and former students,” school district officials said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends, faculty and staff, and classmates.”

Phelps said that the cause of the crash remains under investigation, according to WHBQ.