An early morning crash in southern Alberta left three people dead after a vehicle ended up overturned in a canal in Cypress County.
According to RCMP officials, one of the four occupants of the vehicle escaped from the submerged wreckage in the St. Mary’s Irrigation District canal, located near the intersection of Highway 523 and Range Road 73, and called 911 at around 1 a.m.
The survivor tells Global News that he had attempted to help the others out of the vehicle, including his girlfriend, but his attempts were unsuccessful. He remained on scene until emergency crews arrived.
Members of the Medicine Hat Fire Department’s aquatic rescue team entered the canal and determined that the bodies of three people were still inside the vehicle.
The deceased include a 28-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman, both from Medicine Hat, as well as a 21-year-old woman from Swift Current, Sask. Their names have not been released.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.