Three Columbia University students participating in a volunteer mission in Honduras were killed on Jan. 13 when a bus on which they were traveling veered off a road and fell at least 260 feet into a ravine east of the Tegucigalpa, the country's capital.

Olivia Varley Erhardt, 20, Daniella Moffson, 21, and Abigail Flanagan, 45, had been completing a medical service mission to help the poor in the Central American nation, the New York Daily News reported. They were traveling to Tegucigalpa in order to board a flight that was to take them back to the United States.

"This terrible and tragic loss is all the greater because these individuals were dedicating their passion and very special talents to serving those in need," Columbia University President Lee Bollinger said in a statement. "Other Columbia students were injured in the bus accident. We are working to ensure that they are receiving all necessary medical attention."

Crash caused by driver's error

According to the Honduran newspaper El Heraldo, the road accident was due to human error and left at least 17 other passengers injured. The three American students were initially taken to hospitals in Valle de Ángeles and Tegucigalpa, respectively, where they eventually succumbed to their injuries.

The U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa said it was working with local officials to determine the exact circumstances of the incident and to help affected families.

"We are aware of information related to the bus accident in Valle de Ángeles, (and) we are working with local authorities to determine the state of U.S. citizens involved," the mission told El Heraldo. "The U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa is making the appropriate consular assistance available."

'My daughter was perfection'

Family members in the United States, meanwhile, mourned the loss of their loved ones from afar, the New York Daily News noted.

Moffson's father, 58-year-old Michael Moffson, 58, told the newspaper that his daughter dreamed of becoming a pediatrician and tremendously enjoyed volunteering.

"My daughter was perfection," he said. "She was a beautiful girl, beautiful in and out. She did this because she was a good girl."

Related