'Tragic weekend': Six people dead in crashes across eastern Ontario

Ontario Provincial Police vehicle.

Saturday was a deadly day on eastern Ontario roads, with numerous fatal collisions, most of them involving only one vehicle.

Ontario Provincial Police have reported five deaths resulting from vehicle crashes, and Ottawa police reported one.

At around 3 a.m., a driver was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 174 just past the 417-174 split. Ottawa police are investigating, but have released no other details about the crash or the victim.

This comes after several other collisions in Ottawa in the last week. Ottawa police are encouraging drivers to be cautious. 

"Tragically, five people have been killed on Ottawa roads within the last week. Five families are grieving the loss of their loved ones," police said in a tweet. "Please take care on the roads. Your full attention is required at all times."

OPP-controlled roads saw four collisions Saturday.

"It was a very tragic weekend on Eastern Ontario roadways," said OPP A/Sgt. Erin Cranton in an email to CTV News. "We had four fatal collisions (Lanark, Frontenac, PEC and SD&G) and five fatalities."

At around 6 a.m., OPP responded to a single-vehicle crash on Highway 401 between Dickinson Road and Upper Canada Road in South Stormont. The driver was killed and the passenger was airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries. The deceased has not yet been identified.

At 12:52 p.m., police responded to a collision involving a driver and a cyclist on Highway 15 between Cunningham and Kingston Mills roads in the Kingston area. The cyclist, Hajiasad Ahangarant, 90, was taken to hospital but later died.

At around 3:15 p.m., a 63-year-old motorcycle driver crashed and died on Highway 511 near Tatlock Road in Lanark Highlands Township. Police did not identify the driver beyond their age.

OPP later tweeted about a single-vehicle collision on County Road 23 in Prince Edward County in which two people were killed. The victims remain unidentified.

Each of these collisions remain under investigation.

Cranton said with the onset of summer, more people are travelling. 

"There is an increase in traffic and people are heading on vacation. Each driver can contribute to making our roads safer by avoiding unnecessary risks, complying with traffic laws and being patient with those sharing the road," Cranton said, "Traffic safety remains a top priority for the OPP and the hope is that everyone will make it to their destination safely.

"Investigating fatal collisions is never an easy job. Investigators take their time and conduct thorough investigations."