VALDOSTA, Ga. — A high school student was killed and more than a dozen were injured when a tractor-trailer collided with a school bus here on Monday.

According to a news release from Lowndes County Schools, the bus was traveling southbound on an interstate from Lowndes High School to Lowndes Middle School when the crash occurred. Emergency personnel transported 14 high school students to the hospital. One of the students died from injuries sustained in the crash.

"We are grateful for the efforts of law enforcement, emergency department personnel, and EMS,” Lowndes Superintendent Wes Taylor said in the news release. “We are thankful for their assistance to our students and driver. We are asking our community for prayers and support for everyone involved in the accident.”

The district made counselors, social workers, and support staff available for students and faculty.

Lowndes County Schools is based in Valdosta, which is in southern Georgia, just north of the border with Florida.

The Associated Press reported details of a statement from the Georgia State Patrol: The tractor-trailer was carrying metal beams when it collided with the rear driver’s side of the bus, which was transporting about 30 students. The State Patrol identified the high schooler who was killed as Rebecca Hall, 15.

AP also reported that along with more than a dozen students, the school bus driver was injured and taken to the hospital. The truck driver was not injured in the crash, the cause of which remained under investigation, according to the State Patrol.