UPDATE: 11:12 p.m.
RCMP have confirmed one person has died following a multi-vehicle collision on the Coquihalla.
According to witnesses, a woman was killed after her vehicle left the road where she then exited to return to the highway to wave for help, only to be hit by on coming traffic.
The incident led to a chain reaction crash which closed Highway 5 for several hours.
The Coquihalla is now open in both directions — although Environment Canada is calling for snowfall up to 5 centimetres in some areas.
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The Coquihalla is closed 10 kilometres south of Merritt after two separate crashes late Sunday afternoon.
Interior Health confirms that 10 people were taken to hospital by ground transport, with five being treated at Nicola Valley Hospital in Merritt, and the other five transported to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.
Officials say the victims suffered varying degrees of injuries, but the severity of these injuries is unknown at this time.
A truck driver who drove through the aftermath of the accidents said the accident northbound looked to have involved a police cruiser and multiple vehicles in the ditch.
Less than a kilometre north, another accident southbound had occurred.
He said a total of about ten cars were involved in both.
He also said there was about three inches of the snow on the ground, and it was still falling “steadily.”
According to DriveBC, southbound traffic can detour at exit 286 while northbound traffic can detour in Hope. Drivers are encouraged to take Highway 3 or Highway 8 to Highway 1 if possible. DriveBC estimates that the highway will reopen at 10 p.m.
#BCHwy5 is Closed in both directions 15KM south of #MerrittBC Assessment in progress. #Coquihalla https://t.co/NSoR60lvWQ
— DriveBC TOK (@DriveBC_TOK) April 2, 2017
More to come.
