They came to US to celebrate friendship

A trip of a lifetime for friends of more than 30 years ended in tragedy on Tuesday.

A group of former school mates from Argentina were celebrating the 30th anniversary of their graduation in New York City when they were struck by a truck as they enjoyed a group bike ride.

Five of the men were killed in the terrorist attack that left eight dead and 11 others injured on Halloween after a truck rammed into people on a bike path before slamming into a school bus several blocks from the World Trade Center memorial, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of the Argentine Republic confirmed Tuesday night.

Their names were Hernán Diego Mendoza, Diego Enrique Angelini, Alejandro Damián Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernán Ferruchi. Another friend on the trip, Martin Ludovico Marro is recovering from his injuries at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry.

The friends graduated from the Colegio Politécnico de Rosario in 1987, according to local media in Argentina. Erlij, a 48-year-old businessman who owned a steel mill in Rosario, Argentina, had paid the fares for two former classmates, who for personal reasons couldn't afford the cost of the trip, according to local Argentine outlet Infobae.