UPDATE: Hwy 5 reopens, one confirmed dead in crash

(UPDATE: Feb. 10 @ 6:05 am) - Hwy 5 reopened to traffic early this morning.

The scene of a fatal crash south of Barriere was cleared shortly before 3 am.

The BC Highway Patrol has confirmed that one person died in the multi-vehicle crash that involved a pickup truck and two commercial vehicles.

It was the driver of the pickup who died in the crash, while their passenger was transported to hospital with undisclosed injuries.

(UPDATE: Feb. 9 @ 4:04 pm) - One driver is dead and one passenger has been taken to hospital as a result of a crash involving two commercial vehicles and a pickup truck on Hwy 5 near Louis Creek, south of Barriere.

The crash occurred at 12:08 pm and was attended by Barriere RCMP officers, the BC Highway Patrol (BCHP) Kamloops and Clearwater, as well as Collision Analyst Reconstruction Services.

Hwy 5 remains closed in both directions. A time of reopening is currently undetermined, but DriveBC has estimated it will be between 9 pm and 1 am.

⛔ REMINDER - #BCHwy5 - Vehicle incident between Clough road and Agate Bay has the road closed in BOTH directions. Assessment in progress. #BarriereBC #KamloopsBC #LittleFortBC

A detour is available via #BCHwy24

ℹ️ For more info:https://t.co/F5QWvcOIGV

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) February 9, 2023

The BCHP has assumed conduct of the investigation, which is in the early stages.

At this point in the investigation, there is no indication of any criminality as a contributing factor.

A detour is available via Hwy 1, Hwy 97 and Hwy 24.

(Original story: Feb. 9 @ 3 pm) - A serious crash has closed Hwy 5 in both directions south of Barriere.

The multi-vehicle incident happened between Clough Road and Agate Bay Road earlier this afternoon.

⛔ UPDATE - #BCHwy5 - Vehicle incident between Clough road and Agate Bay has the road closed in BOTH directions. Assessment in progress. #BarriereBC #KamloopsBC #LittleFortBC

A detour is available via #BCHwy24

ℹ️ For more info:https://t.co/F5QWvcOIGV

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) February 9, 2023

A KamloopsNow reader has reported that the crash is believed to be fatal and we have reached out to the BC Highway Patrol for confirmation and further information.

If that is the case, the road will likely be closed for several hours, which aligns with DriveBC’s estimate of the highway reopening between 9 pm and 1 am.

A detour is in place through Hwy 1, Hwy 97 and Hwy 24.

KamloopsNow will update this story as more information becomes available.