Eleven “long-term” leaders, who had “significant” responsibilities with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) were killed in Tanzania, and eight other YWAMers were injured, when a truck’s brakes failed and hit a bus, the ministry reported.

Kenyan news outlet, Kenyans.co.ke, reported that on Saturday a construction company truck with Kenyan license plates collided with several vehicles in Arusha, Tanzania. A total of 25 people were killed, including a young girl and seven foreigners, according to Kenyans.co.ke. The driver initially fled the scene, the Kenyan news outlet reported.

YWAM released a list of first names with last initials of the dead, including Claire M., Zebulon T., Emmanuel D., Vicent K., John M., Blaise G., Ime E., Andrew D., Chimene D., Lova R., and Lordienne N. Those in critical condition include Mathurin B. and Joelle Z. Those in stable condition are Paul Dav., Isaac B., Janet F., Cyrille A., Benjamin N., and Paulo M.

Seven of the YWAMers who were injured are still hospitalized, with two still in critical condition as of Monday, according to YWAM’s official updates. One injured person has been released to go home.

Among the killed was a prominent African leader named John M., a man who “changed cultures” in Africa, said Jon Matas, an American YWAMer and friend. John M. built schools for girls as an alternative future from marrying men in their 50s and 60s who practice polygamy with girls as young as 13, Matas said.

All YWAM staff who were injured or killed were African or international leaders with families, said YWAM spokesperson Johnny Gillespie. They were traveling that day in Tanzania, either as staff or students, for a field trip that was part of an intensive for a master’s level leadership program in YWAM’s University of the Nations, said Gillespie. None of YWAM staff involved were teens or young adults, Gillespie told The Roys Report (TRR), but rather were in the peak of their ministry careers.

“They’re excellent at what they did and they were continuing to be excellent, going after a master’s in leadership so that they could continue to lead more effectively,” Gillespie said.

Many “sacrificed for years,” leading ministries among unreached people groups and vulnerable populations and engaging in compassion projects, like digging wells and medical missions, Gillespie said.

“All of these people who were involved in the crash were tenured leaders, long-term in Youth With A Mission, who were serving in significant capacities in the countries where they were serving,” Gillespie said. “There’s a staggering loss to our mission, in terms of depth of leadership, especially in African nations.”

Gillespie said YWAM isn’t currently releasing the nationalities of any of individuals because many work in Muslim countries where security for missionaries is a concern.

John M. led at YWAM’s Arusha, Tanzania, base, Gillespie confirmed. YWAMer Jon Matas, also a videographer, has documented some of John M.’s work.

“John is responsible for initiatives that have changed cultures, especially among the Maasai,” said Matas. “John and the YWAM Arusha team began building schools in locations where most Tanzanian children have to walk miles and miles to go to school.”

This has lowered the number of child brides, who lived as property to their husbands, or often became young, outcast widows when their much older husbands died, Matas said. Now these women are working as nurses, doctors, teachers, pastors, and lawyers, Matas said.

John M. also started a building project for women who had lived in windowless mud huts that were making them sick from smoke inhalation and blind from little contact with light, Matas said. The houses John M. helped build have separate, semi-outdoor cooking spaces, and a way to catch and store rainwater, Matas said.

“These are the kinds of things that John’s been doing for 20 years at radically changing and educating and developing especially the women in the Maasai culture,” Matas said.

Founded in 1960 by Loren Cunningham, YWAM has a vision to “release waves of missionaries into the world,” many of them teens and young adults from the United States going on short-term missions trips or attending Discipleship Training Schools. YWAM, known for a decentralized structure, has also drawn criticism for alleged spiritual abuse and lack of accountability.

YWAM also has a vision to empower indigenous missionaries, and has more than 30,000 full-time staff, many who aren’t western, serving long-term around the world, Gillespie said.

For the Tanzanian field trip, these YWAM leaders and master’s students were in two buses, Gillespie said. But only one was hit by the truck, he said. YWAM had hired a driver to drive the bus that was hit, Gillespie said. That driver was also killed, he said.

YWAM leaders—some who witnessed the accident—are in Tanzania managing a complex situation of working with medical staff and considering medical evacuations, dealing with local authorities and embassies, helping families travel from international locations, and assisting with funeral arrangements, Gillespie said.

YWAM missionaries raise money for their salaries. YWAM is estimating the related costs, after insurance, of caring well for those involved, to be $350,000. It has set up a fund to take donations.

YWAM is experiencing an outpouring of support for the missionaries on its Facebook page.

A woman named LaVon Shapland wrote, “Love and prayers for everyone dealing with this tragic accident. God of comfort and wisdom meet each one now.”

A man named Moshosho Moshosho wrote, “Heartwarming condolences to all families involved in such painful experience. Healing and comfort to you all. Their blood shall bear a testimony.”

Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based in Colorado.