Prince George, B.C. – Four people have been killed and 15 injured in a multi-vehicle collision west of Jasper that has resulted in the full closure of Highway 16, near the BC-Alberta border.

Cpl. John Spaans with RCMP K Division Strategic Communications in Edmonton says at about 10:45pm Friday a multi-vehicle pile-up was reported on Highway 16 about six kilometers west of Jasper.  Investigators on scene reported that  an eastbound pickup truck driven by a lone male occupant crossed into the oncoming lane and struck a westbound pickup truck.  The westbound truck was occupied by two males and one female.

The four occupants of the two trucks were all killed in the collision.

Following the initial impact, another three vehicles crashed into the wreckage resulting in injuries to another 15 people.  Cpl. Spaans says “these 15 people suffered varying injuries but nothing that is considered to be critical at this point.”  He believes the majority of the injured were transported to Jasper for treatment, but some may have been taken to other communities in the vicinity of the Highway 16 route.

RCMP re-constructionists are still on scene today and Highway 16 remains closed to all traffic in both directions as it has been since the collision last night.  Cpl. Spaans says the highway will remain closed well into this morning.  He says motorists using the highway have had to either “hunker down” or find alternate routes, which are limited in that area.

Cpl. Spaans says speed, alcohol and drugs have not been ruled out at this point “but we’re still in the early stages and due to the magnitude of the collision, it may be a little while before we know exactly why the eastbound pickup truck crossed into the oncoming lane.”

He says the four “deceased are all from Alberta and all from the northern half of Alberta” however he is not releasing specific hometowns as some next-of-kin may not have been notified as yet.

Cpl. Spaans could not say what type of vehicles the fifteen injured people were in.  “That information wasn’t passed to me but I don’t believe we’re talking anything commercial, there’s no bus.”

He says the public will be notified once Highway 16 is re-opened to traffic through the accident site just west of Jasper.