Two dead, including paramedic, in ambulance crash near Edmonton

Two people are dead, including a paramedic, following a collision involving an ambulance southwest of Edmonton.

RCMP say members responded to a report of a crash between an ambulance and an older Buick Skylark on Highway 39 just west of Thorsby early Saturday.

Police say the driver and lone occupant of the Buick, a 27-year-old man from Edmonton, as well as the 51-year-old woman who was driving the ambulance, were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Alberta Health Services later identified her as a paramedic but released no other details.

A male passenger in the ambulance, who AHS said was also a paramedic, suffered serious injuries and was transported to an Edmonton hospital.

Police say there were no patients on board the ambulance.

They say investigators believe the car was headed west on the highway when it crossed the centre line and collided with the eastbound ambulance, and that drugs or alcohol appear to have played a role.