Three people dead after transport trucks crash on northern Ontario highway

THUNDER BAY — Provincial police say three people have died after a crash involving two semis that has shut down a large stretch of a northern Ontario highway.

Police say they were called early Thursday to an area of Highway 17 near Raith, northwest of Thunder Bay.

OPP say two transport trucks collided and caused a load spill that doesn’t pose a significant risk to the public.

Const. Joel Eppinghaus says details on the three people who died aren’t being released until next of kin can be notified.

Investigators say the crash shut down a roughly 185-kilometre stretch of the highway between Ignace and the Highway 11 turn-off in Shabaqua.

They say Highway 17 remains closed to traffic as the investigation continues.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2026.

The Canadian Press