Two people are dead following a crash on the Alaska Highway near the 605-kilometre mark in the area of Summit Lake.

Police are investigating the deaths after a semi-truck left the highway and went down an embankment at about 4:45 a.m. March 3.

According to police, first responders found both occupants of a loaded semi-truck and trailer were entrapped inside the cab of the vehicle and had both suffered fatal injuries. The vehicle appeared to have broken through a guard rail before coming to rest down a steep embankment, said Staff Sgt. Kris Clark of the BC RCMP.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

“While the investigation is in its infancy, road conditions appear to have been a factor in the crash,” said Staff Sgt.Clark. “Work continues to extract the vehicle and its load from the embankment.”

The highway remains closed in both directions while emergency crews recover the vehicle and the road is expected to remain closed through to the mid-afternoon or early evening. Motorists are urged to check DriveBC for road conditions and closures prior to departure.

Anyone with any information or dash-camera video of the crash is asked to contact the Northern Rockies RCMP at 250-774-2700.