Five women, aged between 17 and 20, have died after the car they were travelling in was hit by a driver trying to escape police.
The medical examiner has confirmed the identities of the five women as Sabiriin Ali,17; Sahra Gesaade, 20; Salma Abdikadir, 20; Sagal Hersi, 19; and Siham Adam, 17.
The women had been out on Friday (June 16) to do some last-minute shopping at a Minneapolis mall and get henna tattoos for a friend’s wedding the following day.
According to the Department of Public Safety, a Minnesota State Police trooper began pursuing an SUV after seeing the driver traveling at almost 100mph in a 55mph zone.
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Before the driver could be pulled over, he attempted to exit the interstate, ran a red light and crashed into the car carrying the women at around 10.15pm.
All five women died, while the driver of the other car attempted to run off following the crash - he was later caught by police.
A report from the medical examiner states that Ms Gesaade had been driving at the time. It also confirmed the cause of death for all the women as multiple blunt force injuries.
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Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman said: "The whole community is mourning this loss.
"It's heartbreaking. These girls had a lot of life ahead of them."
The five women regularly attended the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in nearby Bloomington, according to the center’s director Khalid Omar.
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Omar has since paid tribute to the women - saying they were ‘bright stars’ of the local community.
"These were individuals who had a bright future.
"We're talking about the pearls. We're talking about the bright stars of our community.
"We haven't seen a tragedy of five young individuals who passed away at the scene at an incident like this.
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"We've never seen something like that before."
He added: "They weren't doing anything wrong. They were just getting ready for their friend's wedding.”
The Islamic Center has launched a fundraiser for the families involved, which has so far received more than $300,000 in donations.
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The page reads: “We find ourselves in deep sorrow today, for our community experienced a heartbreaking tragedy last night.
"We have lost five of our bright, young sisters in a severe car accident. May Allah grant mercy upon the departed and open the doors of Jannah for them.
“These young Muslim sisters were shining stars of hope for our future. Unfortunately, their lives were cut short last night by a driver evading the police.”
Topics: US News
Claire Reid