Pictured: The 9 and 10-Year-Old Children Killed in Tennessee School Bus Crash

Three of the five Woodmore Elementary School students who were killed in Monday’s bus crash in Chattanooga, Tennessee, have been identified, according to their family members and friends.

Zyanna Harris, 10, Cordayja Jones, 9, and Zoie Nash, 9, were on the bus that crashed, turned on its side and wrapped around a tree, critically injuring several more students.

The bus driver has since been charged with vehicular homicide.

The three students have been described as sweet, lovable spirits. Zyanna liked to dance — as did Zoie, the only girl in her family, who also played softball. Cordayja was “always smiling.”

School officials have previously said three fourth-graders, a first-grader and a kindergartner were killed in the crash. There were 37 students on board, according to the BBC, NBC News and The Tennessean.

Zyanna Harris

A close family friend of Zyanna says that she was a “sweet girl” who was never involved in drama.

“She was into dancing, cheering, anything girly,” 13-year-old Sireunya Eberhardt tells PEOPLE. “She was loving and very kind to her brothers and sisters. She was a family person and very friendly.”

Quiet and always smiling is how Sireunya remembers Zyanna. If you needed anything, she says, Zyanna was there to help. If her little brother fell, she’d pick him up and make sure he was okay.

Sireunya, who is friends with Zyanna’s older sister, found out that she died around 1 a.m. Tuesday.

“I just burst into tears. I didn’t know what to do. I just didn’t believe it was true,” she says. “We would’ve never really thought this would happen so soon.

“She barely got her foot in life to get to experience everything. But she’s in a better place.”

Zyanna’s family could not be reached (her mother was not ready to speak publicly), but her stepfather also confirmed her identity to WREG.

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Cordayja Jones

Cordayja’s aunt tells PEOPLE the 9-year-old was among the dead.

“She didn’t meet any strangers,” Kellie Jones says. “She was my niece, but she was also my baby, too. She was very special. She is missed by so many people.”

Kellie says Cordayja’s mother and father have been hit hard by her death, understandably: “We’re trying to comfort each other. We’re trying,” Kellie says. “It’s hard. We find ourselves sitting back talking to her or reminiscing and then sometimes you just have to break down. I sat in my car last night and just broke down and screamed.”

Kellie says she learned about the crash Monday afternoon as she was getting off work, when a friend who works for the school called her. She learned Cordayja — who went by Dayja — had died as she drove to the scene.

“When I got to the hospital, I told , ‘I wish you could just breath for me,’ ” Kellie says. “I told her I loved her.”

Cordayja’s cousin, LaFrederick Thirkill, took to Facebook to share the family’s grief. “Our family appreciates your sympathy during this tragic incident,” he wrote.

“She was a sweet girl and will surely be missed.”

“She was always smiling, very soft-spoken,” Thirkill told the Times Free Press. “My heart is truly broken for her and her mother.”

“Whenever I was with her she was always on my phone, taking pictures,” Kellie tells PEOPLE. “I can go on my phone and if I want I can hear her voice and listen to her videos that she made. That’s all she did — make videos. I’m always going to hold onto that, my memories of her.

Zoie Nash

Zoie’s uncle Antwon McClain told the Times Free Press that the fourth-grader — the only girl in a family of brothers — loved playing softball, made good grades and was also on a dance team.

Zoie’s mother confirmed her death to PEOPLE. Misti Forrest Nash describes Zoie “a people person.”

“She was one of six — the only girl,” Misti says. “She couldn’t do nothing, she said she could never have a boyfriend. They all looked out for her.”

Misti says that Zoie’s younger brother Zecheriah, with whom she was “real close,” was on the bus with her when it crashed. Though he was initially in the ICU, his condition has improved.

“They always take that bus home,” Misti says.

She says she learned of the crash while at work, when Zachariah’s teacher called her. She didn’t know Zoie had died until she got to the hospital.

“It seems like a dream,” Misti says. “It hasn’t hit me yet.”

“ was so lovable,” McClain, her uncle, told the Free Press. “She had a great spirit. She was a great athlete.”

Bus Driver Charged and in Custody

According to police, Johnthony Walker, 24, was driving the bus that crashed and is facing charges for vehicular homicide, reckless driving and reckless endangerment. Police allege he was speeding before losing control of the vehicle.

Walker remains in custody and as of Monday morning had not entered a plea or retained an attorney. He is cooperating with investigators, according to multiple reports.

Walker’s mother, Gwenevere Cook, told CNN the crash was “a horrible nightmare.”

“I feel bad for my son,” said Cook, who could not immediately be reached. “And I am torn up for the family members.”

At a news conference Tuesday, officials at the Children’s Hospital at Erlanger said 12 students remained hospitalized there — six critically. The officials described a chaotic scene after the crash, with many of the victims too young to provide basic information such as their parents’ names.

Several students said their mother’s names were “mama.”

A vigil is planned for Tuesday night at the Woodmore Elementary.

• With reporting by MARLENE LENTHANG