Police investigating B.C. crash that left woman dead, 2 others injured

An RCMP vehicle responds to an incident on B.C.'s Highway 3 in an undated file photo. (BC Highway Patrol)

A British Columbia woman is dead and police are searching for witnesses after a two-vehicle crash in the province’s East Kootenay region.

A statement Wednesday from the B.C. Highway Patrol says two males were also injured in the collision on Highway 3, approximately 15 kilometres northeast of Cranbrook.

The crash occurred just before 6 p.m. Tuesday, when police say a white 2015 Dodge pickup truck with Alberta licence plates attempted to pass a transport truck and collided head-on with a white Pontiac Vibe.

The Pontiac driver, a 62-year-old woman from the nearby community of Wardner, did not survive the collision, police said.

Two male occupants in the pickup truck were taken to hospital with minor injuries, according to the statement.

The highway was closed for several hours while first responders were on scene and collision analysts gathered evidence.

“While the cause of this collision is still under investigation, we are urging drivers to slow down, drive sober, and drive without distractions,” Insp. Chad Badry of the B.C. Highway Patrol said in the statement.

Investigators are now asking anyone who may have “seen the driving behaviour” of the pickup truck, or who witnessed the crash, to contact police.