A small town in north-central Kansas is grieving the loss of four children who died Thanksgiving Day when the vehicle they were in overturned and became submerged in a pond.

They were headed with their mother and her boyfriend to a nearby relative’s house when their sport utility vehicle lost control on 30 Road, a gravel route north of U.S. 36 in Republic County.

The SUV rolled upside down. The mother’s boyfriend pulled her out, but they couldn’t get to the children, according to Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner.

(Read more: Local News |)