CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Nov. 22, 2016) -- Churches and pastors in east Tennessee responded with heartbreak following the Nov. 21 loss of at least five elementary school students in a school-bus accident in Chattanooga, Tenn. Twelve more victims remain hospitalized.

First United Methodist Church of Cleveland, Tenn., posted the following on its Facebook page:

Please be praying for the families, the friends, the teachers and administrators of Woodmore Elementary and the Chattanooga school system. Please also pray for the bus driver who how has to deal with this for the rest of his life, no matter if it was his fault or not. Pray that the families will be comforted by knowing that those 6 kids are in the holy presence of our living God. Pray for fast healing for the 23 kids in the hospital. God is in control.

The Rev. Richard Richter, pastor of Hillcrest and Hendron's Chapel United Methodist Church in Knoxville, shared the following:

I am praying for the families that are waking up today without their children. I am praying for the children on the bus who lived and saw things they will never forget and for those who are in the hospital recovering. I also pray for the emergency responders who can't un-see or un-experience what happened. Lord, hear our prayer.

Several others shared images and messages on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. See The Call's complete story on Storify: