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Young storm chasers shared final selfie before they died in TRAGIC accident in Oklahoma

The three victims were reportedly on their way back home from storm chasing after reports of a tornado that tore through Andover and ravaged hundreds of homes

A tragic selfie has emerged showing three students storm chasing just moments before they died in an accident while heading home.

Nicholas Nair, aged 20, Gavin Short, aged 19, and Drake Brooks, aged 22, who studied meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, were killed after their vehicle hydroplaned and went out of control while they were returning to Norman after storm chasing in Kansas at around 11.20 pm on Friday, April 29. According to Oklahoma High Patrol, the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan left the roadway before returning to the highway and stopped. It was subsequently hit by a semi-truck traveling in the same direction.

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Tonkawa Fire Department officials and paramedics spent nearly five and a half hours removing the victims from the wreckage and pronounced all three dead at the scene. Meanwhile, the driver of the other vehicle was treated and released from a hospital. The three victims were reportedly on their way back home from storm chasing after reports of a tornado that tore through Andover and ravaged hundreds of homes and buildings.

Tributes poured in to commemorate the lives of Nair, Short, and Brooks shortly after the tragedy. Leigh O'Neil, a geographic information science major at OU, described them as the "kindest, smartest people" she'd ever met, and said that the final selfie the trio sent to their friends was a true representation of how funny they were. "You couldn't be around them without laughing your a*s off," she said. "They truly would do anything to help others out, even before their own well-being. They are already missed greatly. Their loss is insanely painful for us all."

Gavin Short's younger brother Evan, 17, said that Gavin "lived more in his 1.5 years at OU than in his first 18 years of life." He added, "I can find solace in the idea that now he can live among the clouds which he loved so much." The University of Oklahoma's College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences confirmed the accident and lives lost in a solemn statement. "Our community in Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences is close-knit, and our School of Meteorology is very much a family," it said. "Now, more than ever, we must come together in kindness and heartfelt support for one another. Please join us in offering thoughts and prayers for those most impacted, and providing them with privacy." The statement added that counseling was available "as we all grieve this unthinkable heartbreak."

"Words cannot describe this rollercoaster of emotions from one of the highest points of my life to one of the most close-to-home serious ones," Chris Dixon, a fellow OU meteorology student, who was also storm chasing with a different group on Friday, said. Reed Trimmer, a well-known storm chaser and OU meteorology alum, said the students were close to his heart. "My thoughts and prayers go out to their families and friends," Timmer said.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service Norman, Oklahoma, tweeted that their evening balloon release was in honor of the three victims. "On this very sad day in the Norman weather community, our evening weather balloon launch is dedicated to Nic, Drake, and Gavin - OU meteorology students who died in a tragic traffic accident last night," they wrote.

Emergency responders have continued to scour through the debris left behind by the tornado, which impacted around 1,000 buildings as it swept through Andover, Kansas, on Friday. Officials revealed the following day that more than 6,500 people were without power as a result of the tornado. Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell said in a press conference on Saturday morning that some houses "were completely blown away." Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has declared a State of Disaster Emergency for heavily affected areas in the state.