Two motorcyclists die, five people hurt in separate crashes near Pemberton, B.C.

PEMBERTON, B.C. – Separate crashes less than 48 hours apart have killed two motorcyclists and injured five other people on Highway 99 near Pemberton, B.C.

RCMP say a motorcyclist from the Lower Mainland died Sunday when up to three northbound motorcycles travelling together near Joffre Lake collided with a southbound vehicle.

Two of the other motorcyclists and two people in the vehicle were treated for what police say are minor injuries while a fifth person, a passenger on one of the bikes, was airlifted to hospital in Metro Vancouver with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Paramedics and an off-duty doctor witnessed the crash and provided immediate aid and RCMP said the highway was closed for the rest of the day, but has since reopened.

A 31-year-old motorcyclist from Vancouver also died Friday in roughly the same area of Highway 99.

Mounties in Pemberton say he was declared dead at the scene after losing control of his machine on a curve and sliding into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2020