A semi-trailer truck plunged 18 metres off a highway bridge into a lake in Sicamous, B.C., about 100 kilometres east of Kamloops, and officials have reported that the driver has died.
Sicamous RCMP said in a press release around 2:45 p.m. PT. Saturday that they initially responded to the incident earlier that day at around 6:45 a.m. PT. Police also believe that the driver was the truck’s sole occupant.
“It is a tragic outcome, and we are all saddened by the news,” the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) said in an update Saturday evening.
The Bruhn bridge, which was closed in both directions for most of the day Saturday, was re-opened Saturday afternoon under controlled conditions with a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour, as reported by DriveBC.
The CSRD said that there may be single-lane alternating traffic during the recovery of the truck, as the removal of its wreckage from the Sicamous Narrows takes place Sunday morning. The district added that repairs will begin on the bridge guard rails on Monday.
⚠️UPDATE – <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCHwy1?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BCHwy1</a> – The RW Bruhn Bridge in <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sicamous?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Sicamous</a> has reopened in both directions with a reduced speed limit of 30 km/hr. <a href=”https://t.co/iUF4VabMqw”>https://t.co/iUF4VabMqw</a> <a href=”https://t.co/McHZ6ufNQo”>https://t.co/McHZ6ufNQo</a>
—@DriveBC
The RCMP initially reported that the bridge deck sustained “significant damage,” and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure stated that it is assessing the site.
The B.C. Emergency Health Services told CBC News Saturday that it dispatched two ground ambulances to the initial scene of the semi-truck crash and that paramedics did not transport any patients to hospital.
Tracy Hughes, the District of Sicamous co-ordinator, told CBC News that the truck fell into the Mara Lake side of the bridge in an area locally known as the Sicamous Channel, where Mara Lake and Shuswap Lake meet.
The province’s Ministry of Environment continues to assess the impact of diesel spilled from the truck and work on clean-up measures Sunday, the CSRD said. It has also said that Interior Health was alerted about the spill, but there doesn’t appear to be a significant risk to the area’s drinking water supplies.
The truck’s cargo also doesn’t pose any public health hazard, according to the district.