71-year-old woman dead after car plunges into Fraser River in Chilliwack, B.C.

RCMP vehicle. (Supplied)

A 71-year-old woman has died after a car hit a hydro pole in Chilliwack, B.C., and plunged into the Fraser River.

Mounties from the Chilliwack RCMP detachment were called to a section of the river in the 46900 block of Ballam Road just after 2:30 p.m., the RCMP said in a statement Saturday.

A car, a 2001 green, Audi sedan, had struck a hydro pole and veered into the river with its two occupants inside, police said.

Bystanders rescued both people from the submerged car and administered CPR until paramedics arrived, but one woman, a 71-year-old from Chilliwack, was pronounced dead at the scene. A second person was taken to hospital with “undetermined injuries” police said.

The cause of the collision is still being investigated, and anyone who may have witnessed the incident or observed the vehicle’s driving behaviour prior to the crash is asked to contact the detachment at 604-792-4611.