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2 teens killed in Colorado sledding accident were students at central Illinois high school

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CHICAGO (CBS) -- The two teenagers who were killed in a sledding accident Sunday night at Cooper Mountain ski resort in Colorado were students at a school in Fairbury, Illinois, a community about 100 miles southwest of Chicago.

The Prairie Central Community Unit School District No. 8 announced in a letter on Monday the two people who were killed were high school students in the district.

"We are committed to doing everything we can to help our students and staff with the grieving and healing process," the district's superintendent, Paula Crane, said in the letter.

The district said it has partnered with a church to provide counseling and prayer for students on Monday.

"This loss will affect everyone in our school family and in our communities," the district said. "Students may have a difficult time dealing with the loss, and we encourage you to talk with your child."

The two teenagers, 17 and 18-year-old males, were on a spring break and were sledding together They lost control on a large snow bank and landed hard on the ice below. They could not be revived and were pronounced dead, according to the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

The school district said it would not be releasing the names of the students out of respect for the family's privacy.

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