One dead in multi-vehicle collision on Coquihalla Highway

HOPE, B.C. – One person is dead following a multi-vehicle crash on the Coquihalla Highway about midway between Hope and Merritt.

The RCMP says two tractor trailers collided on the highway just before 9:30 p.m.

The driver of a third vehicle then struck the back of one of the big rigs and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash caused a fire that ignited nearby bushes but provincial firefighters were able to contain it before it spread.

The name and gender of the person killed in the crash has not been released.

Northbound traffic on Highway 5 was closed to traffic. The RCMP could not say when the route would re-open.