By Dewey Terrill ~ Little Apple Post

The Kansas Highway Patrol is confirming two people were killed in a two vehicle accident on K-18 highway southwest of Manhattan early this morning. KHP also reported four Kansas State University students were injured in the accident, which occurred about 2:50 a.m.

KHP spokesman Lieutenant Gregory Harkrader says an extended cab Chevrolet cab pickup was going eastbound in the westbound lane of K-18 near the Stagg Hill Golf Course. The pickup hit a westbound car. The occupants in the car, 31-year-old Elizabeth V. Young of White City, and 32-year-old Micheal L. Stanley of Ogden were killed and the occupants of the pickup were injuried. They were transported to Mercy Regional Hospital in Manhattan, and two have subsequently been transported to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka for treatment of injuries.

Harkrader noted the occupants of the pickup were K-State students. He confirmed alcohol may have been involved in the crash. “Just kind of evidence on the scene. Some things inside the vehicle lead us to believe that alcohol could been involved in the crash.”

The highway was closed for several hours but it has been reopened to traffic.