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Highway 97 crash north of Penticton sends one car into Okanagan Lake

Another car was spotted facing south with its front driver-side wheel bent nearly horizontally
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Significant damage was seen on a red car in the southbound lane on Highway 97 after a crash near Kickinee Park north of Penticton. Another car was partly submerged in Okanagan Lake. Mark Brett/Western News

Emergency crews responded after a crash sent a car into Okanagan Lake, slowing down traffic near Kickinee Park Friday afternoon.

A marine rescue crew from the Penticton Fire Department, along with a fire rescue crew attended the scene, along with paramedics and police at around 3 p.m. Friday.

It isn’t clear the extent of injuries, as a pair of people were seen climbing out of the lake and no ambulances were seen rushing from the scene.

A white car was seen nose-first in the lake, submerged up to its windshield, while a red car was seen with significant damage to its front driver-side wheel well in the southbound lane. The wheel on the red car was bent to a near-horizontal position, and the exterior of the wheel well had been torn away.

Traffic was backed up about three kilometres northbound, according to one account, but was opened to a single lane. Heading south, traffic was moving slowly but both lanes are open.

The marine rescue crew returned to quarters almost immediately upon arrival, and the fire rescue crew had left by around 3:45 p.m.

The cause of the crash is not clear at this point.

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A white car is spotted partly submerged in Okanagan Lake near Kickinee Park, after apparently crashing with a red car on Highway 97. The cause of the crash is not clear at this point, but there did not appear to be any significant injuries. Mark Brett/Western News