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Nine-vehicle pileup closes Highway 3 near Castlegar

Two separate incidents on slushy highway; reports of injuries
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One of the accident scenes on Highway 3. (Photo: Sam Lattanzio)

A massive multi-car pileup on Highway 3 just west of Castlegar had police and emergency responders busy during the first blast of winter weather on Friday.

The main route west from the city was closed for several hours while crews tried to clear up the mess.

Fire Chief Sam Lattanzio says fire crews received a call at about 10:15 a.m. that nine vehicles in two separate groups had had a multi-vehicle collision at about Crestview Crescent and at 14th Avenue, just west of the Cozy Pines Motel.

The first group involved three semi-trucks and a five-ton delivery truck. The second group lower down the highway involved a total of five vehicles, including three passenger vehicles and two trucks pulling trailers.

Lattanzio says some passengers in one of the vehicles were injured and were attended to by BC Ambulance Service on the scene. The nature and scope of the injuries is not available at this time.

The highway was closed until about mid-afternoon.

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Passenger cars and several vehicles hauling trailers were involved in a second crash (Photo: Sam Lattanzio)