Two 17-year-old boys killed in a fiery crash in Milton have been identified, with the principal at their high school saying they will be awarded diplomas posthumously.
Faruq Anani and Dylan Stephenson were killed when their Nissan sports car lost control and slammed into a pole on James Snow Parkway around 3 p.m. Sunday.
Craig Kielburger Secondary Principal Donna Taylor confirmed the deaths of the popular students, saying it’s shaken up the school.
“A lot of students were their friends. They were here with them on Friday and now they’re not,” she told Global News.
It was the second deadly crash in the GTA on Sunday. Three young people were killed when a car flipped over in Toronto.
READ MORE: 3 young people killed in horrific high-speed crash in Toronto
Taylor said flags were lowered to half-mast for Anani and Stephenson and that additional social work and counselling support has been brought in.
“It’s pretty raw for students of this age,” she said.
“They’re doing as best they can. They’re pretty young to deal with such a terrible tragedy,” Taylor added.
The two were on track to graduate in June and will be awarded their high school diplomas posthumously, Taylor said — the first time she’s aware of that being done at the school.
“We’re going to go ahead and issue those diplomas,” she said.
An online fundraising campaign was started for Stephenson’s family.
Several students mourned the pair’s deaths on Twitter.
Many gathered at a memorial set up at the crash site.
Halton Regional Police said the car caught fire after crashing and that responding officers worked to douse the flames while waiting for fire crews to arrive.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene while the passenger died from injuries in hospital.
Investigators say speed was likely a factor in the crash.
With files from The Canadian Press
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