Hundreds attend candlelight vigil for I-75 crash victims; pack Marksville High stadium

Marksville High has never had a packed Warren Douglas Stadium as quiet as the one it had tonight (Jan. 7).

Soft sobs, whispered words of encouragement, but mostly just stunned silence were the characteristics of the hour-long prayer vigil in honor and memory of five Avoyelles Parish children who died in a multi-vehicle accident on I-75 near Gainesville, Fla. on Jan. 3.

The most poignant moment of Monday night’s vigil was a phone call from House of Mercy pastor Eric Descant, who is at the hospital in Florida with his wife and other church members injured in the accident. The phone call was broadcast over the stadium’s public address system.

“I never knew a heart could break so much and still work,” Descant said.

He said he knows people are praying and can feel their love and support.

Descant said it will take some time to get over the overwhelming grief, but “we will get over it -- and God will get the glory out of it. I just want to say, don’t stop. Keep praying.”

{For more on this tragic accident and the community vigils, see this week's editions of the Weekly News and Bunkie Record and this Sunday's Avoyelles Journal.}