The RCMP are investigating a head-on crash in east-central Alberta that left four people dead and another injured Wednesday evening.
Police said officers were called to a crash on Highway 29, between Range Road 72 and Range Road 73, at 6:40 p.m.
Elk Point RCMP said a westbound Ford pickup truck pulled out to pass another vehicle when it collided head-on with an eastbound Dodge truck. The front end damage to both vehicles was “extensive,” RCMP said.
Both drivers, as well as two passengers in one of the trucks, were pronounced dead on scene. The driver of the Ford truck was a 42-year-old man from Cold Lake. His two passengers — two men from Elk Point, 46 and 28 years old — died from their injuries at the scene. The driver of the Dodge truck was a 64-year-old man from St. Paul.
A third passenger from the Ford truck was rushed to hospital in Edmonton. The severity of the 39-year-old man’s injuries are not known.
“It is a crash of a serious nature and difficult for everybody involved when you’re dealing with a crash that involves the loss of four lives,” said Cpl. Chris Warren with RCMP media relations.
Traffic on Highway 29 was diverted in both directions for several hours. As of Thursday morning, the area was open.
The RCMP said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Elk Point RCMP detachment at 780-724-3964 or call their local police department. If you want to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online.
The location of the crash is southeast of St. Paul and northwest of Elk Point.
—With files from Emily Mertz