Flags at Half-Staff For UGA Crash Victims

ATHENS, GA -- Flags were flying at half-staff in Georgia on Friday, part of a statewide outpouring of sympathy and grief following a car crash that killed four University of Georgia students and left a fifth in critical condition.

"The people of Georgia share the grief of the families and friends of those who were injured or killed, and we pray for their comfort and healing in the days to come," Gov. Nathan Deal said in the proclamation ordering flags be lowered.

On Twitter, the governor's message was shorter and more direct.

"Today, we are all Bulldogs," Deal posted on Twitter, using the hashtag #prayforUGA.

The victims, all of them women, were in a Toyota Camry that struck another vehicle Wednesday night on Highway 15, a two-lane, just outside of Watkinsville, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

Kayla Canedo, 19, of Alpharetta, Brittany Feldman, 20, of Alpharetta, Christina Semeria, 19, of Milton and Halle Scott, 19, of Dunwoody, all died. Agnes Kim, 21, of Snellville, was the driver of the car. She was in critical condition Thursday.

The driver of the other vehicle, Abby Short, 27, of Demorest, also was hospitalized.

"We grieve with them and we pray for comfort and solace during these unimaginable circumstances," Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry said in a post on the sheriff's office Facebook page.

On the UGA campus in Athens, thousands gathered Thursday to mourn their classmates, who were sorority sisters and members of the school's YoungLife program.

Police estimated that at least 2,000 students came to Tate Center Plaza the day after the crash for memorials that included prayer circles, prayer circles, sing-alongs and shared stories, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.

The Banner-Herald reported that two brothers of the victims came to the event, Will Scott and Nick Semeria.

“I was at the hospital for a really long time last night with my parents, and it was really tough. … This really hurts, but y’all make it a whole lot better,” Will Scott said to the crowd.

UGA President Jere Morehead also spoke to mourners at the unofficial gathering.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of our students who were victims," Morehead said Thursday in a written statement. "We ask that you keep these students and their family and friends in your thoughts and prayers."

Elsewhere in Georgia, even people with no direct ties to the tragedy were sending their sympathies.

"We offer our deepest condolences to the @universtyofga family as they mourn the loss of four students. #UGAstrong," the official Georgia Southern University Twitter account posted.

In April 2015, five Georgia Southern nursing students were killed in a wreck on Interstate 16 in south Georgia.

"We're sending our prayers and condolences to our friends in Athens. #PrayForUGA," posted the similar account at Georgia Tech.