UPDATE: 9:35 p.m.
Two people have been taken to hospital with minor injuries in one of several crashes on the Coquihalla south of Kamloops, according to BC Emergency Health Services.
Meanwhile, DriveBC says the Coquihalla is now fully open southbound, south of Kamloops, and says one lane is back open northbound after a number of crashes forced the highway to be shut down in both directions.
BCEHS spokesperson Susan Seto says crews were first called to a crash at 5:55 p.m.
Kamloops Fire Rescue platoon captain Darryl Cooper says local fire crews responded just before 7 p.m. to a car trapped under a semi-truck near the Inks Lake Road exit.
“Ambulance was on scene… Our rescue truck continued on and they found four more semis jack-knifed blocking traffic. RCMP was contacted and asked to shut down the highway until we could get that sorted out.”
He says all the incidents fire crews observed were between the exits for Inks Lake Road and for Logan Lake.
“The roads were bad enough that we stopped our rescue truck and chained up. Other semis were chaining up to navigate the roads. Extremely hazardous.”
Cooper says drivers need to use winter tires and be aware of potential conditions, and to not travel in adverse weather if not necessary.
For real it’s and ice rink out here pic.twitter.com/7X7pYJwgu6
— LesBien 🏳️🌈 (@katebirl) October 9, 2019
— LesBien 🏳️🌈 (@katebirl) October 9, 2019
Moving now, but lots of vehicles. pic.twitter.com/q3hoWubAOi
— LesBien 🏳️🌈 (@katebirl) October 9, 2019