Man, 81, dead after highway collision in Antigonish County

An 81-year-old manis dead, and several more people injured,after a multi-car collision in a construction zoneon Highway 104 near Linwood, N.S., on Wednesday.

Police responded to the scene in Antigonish County around 9:45 a.m. and found traffic had backed up to a stop due to ongoing highway twinning.

A grey station wagon was approaching the stopped traffic and did not slow down, according to police. That resulted in a chain reaction that saw three vehicles struck from behind.

The driver of the grey station wagon, an 81-year-old man from Inverness County, suffered serious injuries and died in the ambulance en route to the hospital.

Seven people injured

The passenger of the station wagon was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The first vehicle to be struckwas a white SUV. Both the driver and passenger sufferedminor injuries.

The white SUV was pushed forward into a black car. The driver suffered minor injuries and the passenger was taken to hospital with serious injuries, the release said.

The black car was pushed forward into a grey car. Both the driver and passenger suffered minor injuries.

All four vehicles were seriously damaged.

"Speed is believed to be a factor but there could be other factors," said RCMP Cpl. Chris Marshall.

The investigation is ongoing.