Two people died following a collision on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Revelstoke Saturday afternoon.
The crash happened on Dec. 27 at 1 p.m. when a westbound tractor-trailer collided with an eastbound passenger vehicle. Both occupants of the vehicle died in the crash.
The crash closed the highway between Revelstoke and Craigellachie for more than eight hours while RCMP, BC Coroners Service, BC Ambulance and Revelstoke Fire Rescue attended the scene. The highway re-opened at around 9:30 p.m.
Westbound traffic was held up in Revelstoke and many stranded travelers scrambled to try to find a room for the night as the closure lengthened.
People posted on the the Stoke List and Twitter looking for places to stay for the night. Stranded travelers were being helped at the Visitor Information Centre on Victoria Road. Judy Goodman, the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said they were taking a list of people stuck in town, with the goal of helping people find places to stay. Most hotels in town were already booked up, and many people took travelers into their homes.
Environment Canada issued a special weather statement Saturday morning warning of heavy snowfall expected throughout the day and overnight, with snowfall amounts of up to 20 centimetres expected.
A similar situation happened last year when avalanche closures caused many people to get trapped in Revelstoke during the busy holiday season.
