3 dead after nighttime boat crash on B.C. lake, RCMP say

RCMPsay three people were killed in a boat crashon a lake near Lillooet, B.C.,early Sunday morning.

Police said a witness who was at Seton Lake at around 2a.m. PT reported hearing a power boat speed past, then heardthe sound of a "loud bang."

An immediate search was not conducted because it was still dark, a statement Mondaysaid. A search team, assisted by anRCMPmarine team,set out early the next morning.

Shortly after 7 a.m., a recreationalboaterfound a partially capsized boat and three bodies in the water nearby, thestatement said.

The bodieswere recovered by the search team, which included members ofthe Seton Fire Department, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and search and rescue personnel.

The cause of the crash, which is believed to have taken place about a kilometre from shore, is beinginvestigated by Lillooet RCMP, in consultation with the RCMP West Coast Marine Services, and the BC Coroners Service.

The identitiesof the dead two men and one woman are not being released at this time, police said.