Alaskan dies in vehicle rollover in Canada

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - An Alaska resident died last week in a single-vehicle rollover crash in British Columbia, Canada, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Members of the Northern Rockies RCMP and Emergency Services responded to the crash around 3:15 p.m. on April 28, according to a release from the British Columbia RCMP Traffic Services. The rollover happened on Highway 97 north of Muncho Lake, British Columbia.

An investigation revealed that a Honda CRV had left the road, rolled over and stopped on the edge of the Trout River, according to the release.

“Witnesses were able to get the two occupants to safety and began performing life-saving techniques on the female passenger who subsequently passed away,” the release states.

It was a 300 kilometer trip, about 186 miles, for emergency personnel in Fort Nelson to reach the scene. The driver of the Honda sustained minor injuries.

Cpl. Mike Halskov, media relations officer for the British Columbia RCMP Traffic Services, confirmed that the two people in their 60s were U.S. citizens and residents of Alaska. They were in the process of legally travelling through Canada to their primary residence in Alaska at the time of the crash, according to the release.

Halskov said it was “just a tragic turn of events for this couple.” He said the identity of the Alaska woman who died has been confirmed and that her family has been notified, but that it is not the practice of the RCMP to release identities to the public.

The British Columbia Highway Patrol in Fort Nelson and the British Columbia Coroners’ Service have taken over investigation of the crash to determine its cause, according to the release.

Halskov said it initially appears to have been a combination of possible unfamiliarity with the road in that area and road conditions. The road is a two-lane highway through mountain passes in that, he said.