Highway 1 closed near Mill Bay on Vancouver Island due to fatal collision

B.C. Highway Patrol and Shawnigan Lake RCMP officers say a fatal motor vehicle incident has closed Highway 1 near the 1200 block, south of Mill Bay, B.C.

One woman was pronounced deceased at the scene. The cause of the collision is under investigation, say police.

The condition of the three other vehicle occupants involved in the incident has not been confirmed, according to an RCMP media release.

The release states that two vehicles collided head-on, with one vehicle falling down an embankment and the other becoming engulfed in flames.

B.C. Highway Patrol's Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service (CARS) team was deployed to assist with the investigation.

A section of Highway 1 by the Malahat Summit was closed Saturday afternoon, with a detour available via Shawnigan Lake road, according to DriveBC. The road was estimated to reopen at 8 p.m. PT.

RCMP Cpl. Brett Urano said investigators were collecting evidence from the scene.

"We're still early in our investigation and we're working hard to determine the exact cause and factors in this tragic incident," he said.

Urano is encouraging anyone who may have witnessed the collision or have dash cam footage of the area to contact Shawnigan Lake RCMP.