Victims of fatal crash at West Vancouver wedding identified as 2 women in 60s

Police said Monday the two people who were killed after a driver crashed into a wedding party in West Vancouver, B.C., on Saturday were both women in their 60s, while another seven remain in hospital.

In a news conference Monday, West Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Const. Nicole Braithwaite described Saturday's scene as "chaotic" where about 50 people were gathered to celebrate a wedding on Keith Road.

The driver, a woman in her 60s was leaving her home, which shares a driveway with the property where the wedding party was taking place, when she ran into a group of people.

Witnesses and first responders tried to "render lifesaving assistance" but the two women died at the scene, police said in a statement Monday. Among the seven people in hospital, two were described as having "life-altering injuries."

The woman was driving a 2016 Range Rover, Braithwaite said at a news conference after the statement was posted. Asked if speed or impairment were factors, police said it is too early to speculate on the cause but that nothing has been ruled out -- including the possibility that the driver experienced a medical episode.

"We know what happened but we are trying to figure out how and why this happened," Braithwaite said.

"It's important to say at the onset that this is a very tragic incident that has affected a number of families within our community and beyond and our thoughts go out to each and every one of them. This is a difficult moment in time for the families of the victims, the witnesses who were present, the driver who was involved, and all emergency services that attended this event," she said at a news conference Monday.

The driver is among those in hospital but police would not comment on her condition or say if they have spoken to her.

A decision on whether to recommend criminal charges has yet to be made.

"In the upcoming days and weeks we will be collecting an abundance of evidence that will determine if charges will be laid and we will be providing a subsequent update once we have that information," Braithwaite said.

On Saturday, BC Emergency Health Services said 10 people were taken to hospital. The West Vancouver Police Department could not explain this discrepancy.