A vehicle accident has killed three people and left another person injured near a small community located about 260 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.
The three unidentified victims were found deceased Thursday, down an embankment near Lytton, B.C., where their vehicle rested, said RCMP Const. Kris Clark.
A fourth person who was found suffering from serious injuries was expected to survive, he added.
Police have not yet released any names because Clark said not all family members have been notified.
Lytton Mayor Jessoa Lightfoot said the individuals lived in the area, and that one may have been a teenager and two or three were in their early 20s.
"It just feels heavy, you know, all of us that knew them," said Lightfoot. 'It's just, you know, it's just a big weight. It's just sad."
She said only about 228 people live in the community, which is near the intersection of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers, although it's a service centre for about 2,000 area residents.
Clark said members of the Lytton detachment received a report Wednesday of three missing persons who were supposed to return from a trip to the Pasulko Lake area.
A search was launched, and Clark said it resumed Thursday and included search-and-rescue volunteers, an RCMP helicopter from Kamloops, B.C., and community members.
Lightfoot said she believes the individuals had been out picking wild potatoes, a traditional food for local First Nations.
She said local first responders were dispatched to the accident scene, which was not too far from town.
The RCMP said BC Coroners Service was assisting with the investigation.
