Thompson Rivers University has confirmed that three young men involved in Wednesday’s multi-vehicle crash in Sahali were members of the WolfPack volleyball team.

The three men, who were all in their 20s, were in a Volkswagen which was stopped at a red light, but hit by a pickup truck which had lost control in the area of McGill Road and University Drive, near the TRU East Gate.

All three were taken to hospital, with the other two suffering critical injuries.

“It is hard to find words that express how we feel in these moments, in the face of such inexplicable tragedy,” TRU President Brett Fairbairn said, in a statement.

“Our most sincere thoughts are with their families and loved ones, and on behalf of TRU, I offer our deepest condolences. We grieve with them, along with others, including their teammates, friends, classmates, and professors. This is a loss for the TRU community that will be felt for a long time.”

Fairbairn says out of respect for the privacy of families involved, TRU will not be disclosing personal information about the individuals involved.

He says counselling and other supports are in place for people in need either online, in person at the Faculty of Student Development at Old Main 1631, or by phone at 250-828-5023.

“During this difficult time, please remember to support one another,” Fairbain said.

Police, firefighters, and paramedics all responded to the crash near Thompson Rivers University just after 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29.

“Emergency responders were called to the intersection of McGill Road and University Drive, after a Dodge Ram truck collided with several small trees before striking a Volkswagen that was stopped at a red light, creating secondary crashes with four other vehicles,” Kamloops RCMP said in a release Thursday morning.

At the same time, the RCMP and Kamloops Fire Rescue are also offering up their condolences.

“Our hearts are broken for the victims and their families involved in this terrible tragedy,” said Kamloops RCMP Superintendent Jeff Pelley.

“The three young adults in the Volkswagen were all members of the community in their 20s, and the loss is sure to have far reaching impacts as we struggle to understand what happened and advance the active investigation as a priority.”

Mounties are still appealing for more information into the crash.

“The Kamloops RCMP Municipal Traffic Unit has conduct of the investigation with the assistance of the Southeast District Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service,” said the RCMP.

“Anyone with video, dash camera footage, or information related to this incident that has not yet been shared it with police, is asked to please contact the detachment as soon as possible.”

All WolfPack games have been postponed until further notice.

The volleyball teams were set to host the Trinity Western Spartans this Friday and Saturday while the basketball teams were set to face the University of Victoria on the road.

Support services for students are available through https://t.co/jl0DGwbFVa, by dropping by Old Main 1631 or calling 250.828.5023.

All WolfPack games are postponed until further notice. 2/2

— TRU WolfPack 🐺 (@GoTRUWolfPack) November 30, 2023