Collision near Gorge leaves 4 people dead

Two adults and two children are dead following a two-car collision Sunday morning near the Gorge Amphitheatre in Grant County.

The accident happened around 8 a.m. at the intersection of County Road 1 Northwest and Beverly-Burke Road, about 2 miles east of the Gorge, where thousands are attending the Sasquatch music festival this holiday weekend.

An SUV carrying the four victims collided with a compact hatchback at the intersection, then struck a guardrail and plunged into a flowing irrigation canal.

The SUV submerged and was pulled with the current about 100 yards downstream. Rescuers removed all four occupants. A man and woman were dead at the scene and the children died at Quincy Valley Medical Center, said Kyle Foreman, spokesman for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

Their identities and hometowns were not immediately released.

A woman driving the other car received minor injuries and was taken to the same hospital for treatment, Foreman said.

“In my 21 years in law enforcement, this is the most tragic single incident I have ever been to,” Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones said. “My heart is filled with sorrow, and I pray for peace and comfort for the surviving family members.”

The Grant County Sheriff’s Motor Traffic Unit is investigating.