Vehicle strikes 3 Notre Dame students, killing 2, in Indiana

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - A vehicle struck three University of Notre Dame students, killing two of them early Saturday in the northern Indiana city that's home to the university's campus, the school's president said.

South Bend police said the vehicle hit three pedestrians before crashing into a house just after 4 a.m. The driver remained at the scene and was cooperating with investigators, police said.

The Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, said first-year students Valeria Espinel, 19, from Guayaquil, Ecuador, and Olivia Lara Rojas, 19, from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, were killed. A sophomore was hospitalized, he said in a news release.

'œOn behalf of the entire Notre Dame community, I express our deepest condolences and pray that our students' families and friends may find God's grace and solace after so shattering a loss,'ť Jenkins said. 'œWe also pray for a full recovery of our student who remains hospitalized as a result of the accident.'ť

The intersection where the students were struck does not have sidewalks and the Stadium Club Apartments - home to several Notre Dame upperclassmen and graduate students - is located nearby, the South Bend Tribune reported.