A 30-year-old woman and two young girls are dead after a head-on collision in Coquitlam on Friday evening, the RCMP said.
The three-vehicle crash occurred shortly before 6:20 p.m. on Lougheed Highway just east of Pitt River Road.
In a statement released Saturday morning, the RCMP said the woman was in one vehicle and the two children, aged three and nine, were in another.
Staff Sgt. Dan Guilfoyle told CTV Vancouver five other people were taken to hospital as a result of the crash, describing the situation as “a horrible, horrible, tragic evening.”
The extent of their injuries is unknown.
Police are investigating the cause of the crash. They have not identified the victims.
Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart also visited the collision site on Friday night and was visibly upset by what he saw.
The affected stretch of Lougheed Highway has since re-opened to traffic.
Investigators are asking any witnesses to the collision to contact them at 604-945-1550 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
