7 people critically injured in head-on crash on Highway 97C

An air ambulance lands at the scene of a serious crash east of Merritt, B.C. on Dec. 28, 2015. (Twitter user @Gord_Buck)

A head-on collision in the B.C. Interior sent seven people to hospital in critical condition Monday.

Air and ground ambulances were dispatched to the scene after a black SUV and another vehicle crashed about eight kilometres east of Merritt on Highway 97C, also known as the Okanagan Connector.

The B.C. Ambulance Service said all seven victims suffered life-threatening injuries.

Few other details have been confirmed, including what might have caused the accident, but the DriveBC website warned Highway 97C was experiencing compact snow and dense fog Monday.

The crash briefly closed the highway in both direction, but traffic was flowing again within a couple hours.