One driver is dead and another has been airlifted to hospital following a head-on collision on Highway 18 Wednesday afternoon.
The crash occurred around 1:45 p.m. about two kilometres east of Lake Cowichan.
A westbound minivan collided head-on with a flatbed truck that had been travelling east.
“Unfortunately, the driver of the minivan died at the scene,” said RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Alex Bérubé in a media release.
The driver of the flatbed truck was flown by helicopter from the scene to hospital with serious injuries.
The highway is expected to be closed in both directions until 7 p.m. while RCMP traffic analysts and Lake Cowichan RCMP officers investigate the cause of the collision.
Police are looking for witnesses. Those who may have seen the incident occur are asked to contact the Lake Cowichan RCMP at 250-749-6668.