Investigators believe a vehicle involved in a collision that killed five people was travelling in the wrong direction on a Nova Scotia highway prior to the crash Saturday night.
Officers and emergency crews responded to the two-vehicle collision in the eastbound lanes of Highway 101 between Hantsport and Falmouth around 11:12 p.m., according to an RCMP news release.
They learned a Honda Civic and a Nissan Sentra collided with each other roughly 1.5 kilometres from Exit 7 in Falmouth.
“That portion of the highway is divided by a cable divider or barrier, and that’s when the collision occurred with the Nissan,” RCMP Cpl. Gui Tremblay told CTV News.
The 43-year-old man and 45-year-old woman in the Civic were pronounced dead at the scene.
A 45-year-old woman from Oxford and a 58-year-old man in the Sentra were also pronounced dead at the scene. A 50-year-old man in the Sentra went to hospital and was later pronounced deceased.
A 29-year-old passenger from British Columbia remains in critical condition.
Driver may have been impaired: RCMP
Police say physical evidence indicates the Civic was travelling in the opposite direction of traffic in the eastbound lane.
They also say officers responded to a possible impaired driver involving the same Civic around 7:20 p.m. The vehicle was last seen at a restaurant near the 11600 block of Grand Pre on Highway 1. Police say an “extensive search” for the vehicle was unsuccessful.
“Investigators know it was the same vehicle,” said Tremblay. “In these types of collisions, toxicology reports will be requested of the driver, and the Medical Examiner Service is engaged in this investigation.”
Meanwhile, the incident has sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community of Falmouth, located roughly 67 kilometres northwest of Halifax.
“So many people lose their lives in a needless accident. It’s tragic,” said West Hants Mayor Abraham Zebian. “Our hearts are with the families today.”
Police are looking for information on the whereabouts of the blue 2014 Honda Civic before 7:20 p.m. and prior to the collision. The vehicle’s licence plate was HLF590.
Anyone with dashcam footage or information about the incident is asked to call police at 902-798-2207, or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca.
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