A fiery crash near Williams Lake, B.C. has reportedly killed a family of four, including two children.
Insp. Warren Brown of the Williams Lake RCMP told the Vancouver Province "it’s the opinion of our members it is the most horrific accident they’ve been involved in."
Global B.C. is reporting that an SUV collided with a tractor trailer on Highway 97 in the morning hours. At one point, the van crossed the highway's centre line.
Road conditions at the time, according to the National Post, were clear and dry -- but black ice may have been a factor.
While the RCMP did not immediately confirm the deaths, The Prince George Citizen identified the SUV's occupants as Matt Altizer, an employee at the newspaper, his wife Leah and their two children Jonathan and Emily, in eighth and sixth grades respectively.
The newspaper went on to report that the family was heading to Vancouver to attend the Davis Cup international tennis match, where Canada was slated to play France this weekend.
FROM THE CITIZEN: Interim publisher Colleen Sparrow, who worked with Altizer for more than a decade, said the entire community has suffered a great loss.
The truck driver has reportedly survived the crash.
Speaking to The Canadian Press, RCMP Corp. Madonna Saunderson said, "We do know that the SUV crossed the centre line and collided with the semi. The crash resulted in a fire, we're not sure what sparked the fire, we do know that both vehicles were engulfed in flames."
RCMP Insp. Warren Brown told CBC News "After the collision, both vehicles burst out into flames and the passenger vehicle is so badly burnt that we are not able to determine what it is right now."