No fewer than six final-year nursing students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) have been confirmed dead in a tragic road crash as they travelled to sit for their final examinations.

The six students, all 500-level candidates in the institution’s Open and Distance Learning Bachelor of Nursing Science programme, died in the accident while heading to Ogbomoso, Oyo State, for what was meant to be the concluding phase of their academic journey.

Among them was a student said to be heavily pregnant at the time of the crash.

Their bodies have since been deposited in a mortuary, where they await autopsy and further directives from authorities.

The sombre reality of their demise has cast a heavy pall over the university community and beyond.

According to reports, the victims were until their deaths working nurses, women who had combined hospital duties with academic pursuits, juggling careers, family responsibilities and the demanding requirements of professional training.

Classmates who had expected to reunite with them in examination halls are currently grappling with shock and disbelief.

As of the time of filing this report, no official statement had been issued by the management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology regarding the exact circumstances of the accident. (The Guardian, but headline rejigged)