Update: The four victims have been identified as Buffalo Grove High School students. The latest information can be found here. Our original story continues below.
Four teens were killed and three other people injured in a "major," multi-vehicle crash Tuesday night in suburban Wheeling, officials said.
According to the Wheeling Police Department, the "major traffic crash" involving three vehicles occurred at 10:19 p.m. at the intersection of Dundee and Schoenbeck roads.
Seven people were extricated from the vehicles involved and transported to nearby hospitals, officials said. Four teens between the ages of 16 and 18, who were occupants of the primary vehicle, were killed, a release from the Wheeling Police Department said.
According to officials, an initial investigation revealed that speed and "disregard for traffic signal" were the primary factors of the crash.
Photos and video from the scene showed several dark-colored vehicles badly damaged, with car parts strewn across the roadway.
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As of Wednesday morning, authorities with the Northwest Suburban Major Case Assistance Team's Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction Unit, along the Wheeling Police crash investigators remained on the scene collecting evidence, the release said.
Buffalo Grove High School later Wednesday morning confirmed that all at least five of the victims were students.
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"It is with the deepest sorrow that we confirm that four Buffalo Grove High School students were killed, and one student remains hospitalized, in what police are describing as a multi-car crash Tuesday night in Wheeling," a statement from District 214 says.
"Buffalo Grove High School is closed today because of a fire last evening," the statement continues. "We will, however, be making counselors available as soon as possible to help our school community deal with this tragic loss and will inform students, staff and families directly regarding this."
Those with information about the incident are asked to contact the Wheeling Police Department at 847-459-2632.
No further details were immediately available.
