By Khalida Sarwari
Two teenage girls from Salinas were killed in a crash in unincorporated Monterey County Friday night, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash happened at about 10:50 p.m. on River Road at Las Palmas Parkway when a 2000 Lexus RX300 1994 and a Mazda pickup collided.
The driver of the Lexus, 16-year-old Bella Dakis, and her passenger, 17-year-old Genevieve Giammanco, were killed.
A third person in the Lexus, a 17-year-old Salinas girl, suffered minor injuries and was transported to Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital.
The driver of the Mazda, a 19-year-old Soledad man, also suffered minor injuries and was taken to the same hospital.
River Road was closed for about three and a half hours after the crash.
There is no indication that drugs or alcohol were factors, and the crash remains under investigation, according to the CHP.
Both Dakis and Giammanco were in the 11th grade at Salinas High School.
Principal Sascha Heckmann said a candlelight vigil held on campus Saturday was attended by about 250 students, family and friends of the victims.
Grief counselors are visiting classrooms and speaking with students today.
“Obviously it’s very somber,” Heckmann said. “This has hit our community hard.”