Highway 33 saw multiple vehicle collisions, about 28 reported in Central Okanagan Wednesday

Kelowna RCMP Highway 33 east of Kelowna was reopened early Wednesday evening in both directions following a multiple vehicle collisions.

In one of the accidents a vehicle crossed the centre line and collided with an oncoming vehicle .

The two occupants of each vehicle did not suffer serious injuries.

A tow truck is on scene and traffic is backed up for several kilometres.

The collisions prompted the RCMP in the Central Okanagan to urge motorists to slow down and adjust their speeds to the changing road and weather conditions.

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“Our crews have responded to crash after crash along Highway 33 east of Kelowna,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, spokesperson for the Kelowna Regional RCMP.

“Officers responding to these crashes describe the conditions in the area as extremely icy, which has seriously affected drivers’ ability to stop and steer.”

O’Donaghey said the temporary closure was to allow crews to safely extract occupants from their vehicles and to investigate and clear the scenes.

“RCMP in Lake Country are also reporting multiple collisions in their jurisdiction, which they believe are directly related to deteriorating roadway conditions,” added O’Donaghey.

O’Donaghey said 28 crashes required police attendance in the Central Okanagan Wednesday, “12 collisions in Kelowna Detachment area, six in West Kelowna RCMP’s jurisdiction and as many as 10 in Lake Country Detachments boundaries.”

“There were likely even more with minor property damage or no injuries which were not reported to police.”

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RCMP dispatchers were kept busy keeping up with all the calls.

“On top of the calls for collisions, officers were kept busy with abandoned 911 emergency calls, many of which were in the vicinity of the collisions,” O’Donaghey said Wednesday night. “These calls put an added strain on already busy emergency crews, who must track down the owners of the cellular phones to ensure their well-being. The public are reminded to remain on the line to speak with 911 emergency operators, even if they realize someone else has already called for emergency services when they arrive on the scene of a collision or other emergency situation.”