B.C. crash devastates 2 Edmonton families

A horrific crash on the Trans-Canada Highway in British Columbia over the long weekend ripped through two families from Edmonton who were on their way to the Vancouver area, the RCMP confirmed Monday.

Six people were killed late Sunday morning when the minivan they were travelling in slammed head-on into an RV on a straight stretch of highway east of Golden, B.C.

Police said they were members of two families from Edmonton who were travelling together in two separate vehicles on their way to Abbotsford, in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.

Relatives have identified the victims as Arshad Mahmood, 47; his wife, Shakila; and their two daughters, Dolly, 12,and Mahlaka, 10. Also killed were Mahmood's father and the daughter of friends of the family.

The Mahmoods' son, Muhammad Aashar, 11, was travelling in the second vehicle, which wasn't involved in the crash.

Two people in the RV were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Cause unknown

The RCMP have yet to determine what caused the crash, but Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said investigators were focusing on driver fatigue or inattention after ruling out speed and alcohol. The van will also be inspected this week for any signs of mechanical failure.

Moskaluk said four of the six people in the van weren't wearing seatbelts, but the crash proved too severe even for the two who were buckled in.

"Both the driver and front passenger of the minivan were wearing their seatbelts. However, given the nature of the collision and size of motorhome involved, it is clear that they suffered severe trauma from the impact of the collision," Moskaluk said in an news release.

A photograph of the scene released by the RCMP showed the twisted wreckage of the minivan in the middle of the highway. The RV was sitting several metres away, with a large section below the windshield ripped off and scattered along the pavement.

'We hear the sirens too often'

Golden Mayor Christina Benty said she was in church Sunday morning when she heard the blare of sirens rush past, heading east out of town on a busy section of highway that has seen more than its share of deadly collisions over the years.

"We just heard siren after siren after siren, and we know this was bad," Benty recalled.

"We hear the sirens going out of town on a regular basis, and every time we do, there is a collective lurching in the stomach. Being a community on the No. 1 Highway, we hear the sirens too often."

The winding Trans-Canada Highway around Golden has a reputation as an especially treacherous section of roadway, listed by the Canadian Automobile Association as one of the 12 most dangerous spots in the country.

However, based on the RCMP's description of where the accident occurred and their photograph of the scene, Benty said it appears the crash wasn't on the most dangerous part of the highway located just outside of town.

She noted investigators hadn't singled out the condition of the highway as a potential factor in the crash, which occurred on a straight section of road.