2 dead after serious crash on Highway 1 in B.C. Interior

A serious crash closed Highway 1 in both directions near Sorrento, B.C., on Saturday, July 20, 2024. (CTV News)

Two people are dead and six more injured after a serious crash that shut down Highway 1 near Sorrento, B.C. Saturday morning.

Images from the scene show at least three vehicles with significant damage. Multiple ambulances and a helicopter could be seen on the roadway.

In an email to CTV News Saturday, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Madonna Saunderson confirmed that two people had been pronounced dead at the scene. On Sunday, she confirmed that six people were injured and said none of their injuries “appear to be life-threatening.”

The crash was reported shortly after 8:20 a.m., Saunderson said.

DriveBC first posted about the crash on social media around 9 a.m., advising travellers to "expect major delays." The highway was closed in both directions between Little River Road and Lindburg Road until just after 8 p.m.

A series of deadly crashes this month has prompted warnings from BC Highway Patrol, which has urged drivers to slow down and use caution.

According to the BC Coroners Service, between July 5 and July 10, 19 people died in motor vehicle accidents in the province.

A series of deadly crashes this month has prompted warnings from BC Highway Patrol, which has urged drivers to slow down and use caution.

According to the BC Coroners Service, between July 5 and July 10, 19 people died in motor vehicle accidents in the province.

Among those killed were a family of three, including a baby, who were involved in a head-on collision in Agassiz on July 9. 

The following day, four adults from the same extended family perished in a serious crash in Keremeos. 

Earlier this week, the BCHP said it had issued 132 tickets for excessive speeding – which is defined as 40 km/h or more above the posted limit – since July 1.