TRYON, N.C. (AP) — A South Carolina TV news station says two of its journalists have been killed by a falling tree on their SUV while reporting on severe weather associated with the fringes of the storm system Alberto.

Greenville, South Carolina, station WYFF-TV reported that anchor Mike McCormick and photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer had died Monday in the wreck in neighboring North Carolina.

Authorities say the broadcast journalists were traveling on a highway near Tryon, North Carolina, when a large tree toppled on their SUV, killing the two instantly.

Local officials declined to directly attribute the deaths to the subtropical system Alberto. Authorities say the tree became uprooted from soil loosened by days of recent rains.