Two people killed after head-on collision on Coquihalla involving vehicle heading the wrong-way

Police say two people were killed and three others were “seriously wounded” after a head-on collision involving a vehicle that was driving the wrong way on the Coquihalla south of Kamloops Friday (Sept. 5) night.

The BC Highway Patrol said the double-fatal collision between a grey Dodge Ram pickup and a white Hyundai Kona hatchback happened around 9:00 p.m. in the northbound lanes of the highway.

Police did not say which vehicle was at fault, though they said the vehicles came together north of the Inks Lake turnoff before they could intercept the wrong-way driver. They also did not specify which vehicle the victims were in.

“Police are investigating the possibility that criminal behaviour caused this tragic collision,” BC Highway Patrol spokesperson Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said. “We need every available witness who can tell us what the drivers were doing in the minutes and hours leading up to this collision.”

McLaughlin says people with dash-camera footage or other information about this collision should reach out to the BC Highway Patrol in Kamloops at 250-828-3111 and reference file (2100) 2025-3075.

The highway was closed for around nine hours last night, and it reopened around 6:00 a.m. this morning. Drivers were being told to expect delays due to congestion.

This closure was not related to one south of Merritt that was caused by a semi-truck fire around 6:00 p.m. It’s not clear what caused that vehicle fire in the southbound lanes, and a small wildfire that sparked by the side of the highway is under control.

As of publishing, the entire Coquihalla highway is open in both directions, though there is a travel advisory between Hope and Merritt due to the Mine Creek wildfire, which is now estimated to be around 34 square kilometres in size.