Shawnigan Lake RCMP are investigating after one person was killed and five others were taken to hospital following a collision on the Malahat on Thursday afternoon.
The two-vehicle crash occurred around 4 p.m. in the southbound lanes of Highway 1 near Whittaker Road.
“Preliminary information gathered at the scene indicated that a white Toyota Corolla was travelling southbound on Highway 1 when it collided with a black Dodge Ram around that intersection,” said RCMP in a statement Friday.
On Thursday evening, BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) told CHEK News that six people were taken to hospital, including two people who were in critical condition.
RELATED: 6 taken to hospital, two in critical condition, after crash on Malahat highway
On Friday, Mounties said that one person, a passenger of the Toyota Corolla, died of their injuries.
“The driver and passenger of the Dodge Ram suffered minor injuries and were transported to hospital,” said RCMP. “The four occupants of the Toyota suffered varying degrees of injuries and sadly one passenger did not survive.”
Both southbound lanes of the highway were closed for roughly four hours, while one northbound lane remained open.
Mounties say the extended closure was partly to allow an RCMP collision analyst and a BC Coroners investigator to review the scene.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact the Shawnigan Lake RCMP at 250-743-5514.
The crash scene is shown. (CHEK News)
The crash scene is shown. (Dakota Kightly)