2 drivers dead after head-on crash in B.C. national park

Kootenay National Park is seen in this image from Parks Canada.

Two drivers were killed in a head-on collision in B.C.’s Kootenay National Park Wednesday, according to police.

RCMP say officers received a report of a serious motor vehicle incident near the Simpson Monument on Highway 93 just after 5:30 p.m. MST.

A westbound vehicle crossed the centre line while going around a corner and collided with an oncoming vehicle at high speed, according to a police statement.

Both drivers—the sole occupants of the vehicles—died at the scene.

Police say a third vehicle was “only peripherally” involved in the crash and its two occupants sustained minor injuries.

“This was a tragic incident that resulted in the loss of two lives,” RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Brett Urano said, in the statement. “Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the deceased as they navigate this difficult time.”

Highway 93 was closed for several hours for the investigation, not reopening until about 1 a.m.

Police say criminality is not suspected in the crash.