Nuu-chah-nulth communities are mourning the loss of three young adults killed in a single-vehicle accident on Highway 4 Sept. 8. The victims are from Ahousaht and Kyuquot families.
The accident took place about 3:45 p.m. Sunday. According to the RCMP it appears the vehicle, travelling west-bound from Port Alberni, veered off the right side of the road, flipped onto its roof, then burst into flames.
Passersby stopped at the crash site, located near Marion Creek about 40 km west of Port Alberni, but could do nothing to help the three occupants.
The Port Alberni Fire Department extinguished the blaze.
According to Cpl. Jen Allan, RCMP Central Island Traffic Services was summoned to the crash site and are assuming the lead in the investigation.
An RCMP Traffic Reconstructionist is en route to the crash scene to provide expert assistance to the officers managing the incident.
The vehicle remained at the scene overnight to allow the responding agencies to continue the investigation.
The names, ages and genders of the deceased have not been released, and Ha-Shilth-Sa is respecting the police’ and coroners’ process.
“Due to the nature of the accident, with fire being involved, it could take a little longer for the Coroner to make positive identifications,” Cpl. Allan said.
Chief Councillor of Ahousaht Curtis Dick has said information will be released tomorrow regarding the plans of the families. He asked that all respect the families’ privacy.
According to Cpl. Allen, two vehicles belonging to Ahousaht members had planned to travel together from Port Alberni to Tofino.
The extended family members had attended the Fall Fair in Port Alberni over the weekend and were heading to Tofino to catch boats to Ahousaht.
Occupants of the first vehicle became concerned when the second vehicle didn’t arrive as expected. A few hours later a family member from the first vehicle reported the missing second vehicle to the Tofino RCMP. By early evening word of the accident spread through the Nuu-chah-nulth communities, and families from Ahousaht and Kyuquot gathered to mourn the losses.
