The person killed in the Thursday evening crash at Hixon was a 57-year-old woman from Quesnel.
"The family does not, at this time, want the name of their loved one released," said RCMP Cpl. Madonna Saunderson of the Prince George Regional Provincial Traffic Services.
The woman was already in critical medical distress and was in the process of being rushed from G.R. Baker Hospital in Quesnel to University Hospital of Northern B.C. in Prince George.
"We have confirmed through witnesses that the ambulance was travelling code three, lights and sirens," Saunderson said.
The ambulance collided with a van as it reached the halfway point in its emergency journey. On board were two paramedics, a doctor and a nurse all attending to the patient. They received non-life-threatening injuries and were released from hospital after examinations, but the patient did not survive.
The van was occupied by five people from Kitimat. They, too, were released from hospital after precautionary examinations. Two of the van's passengers were under the age of 18. The driver was an adult male.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, said Saunderson.
"We are still waiting for the mechanical inspection results, and still waiting for the collision reconstruction report," Saunderson said. "The mechanicals should be completed by mid-next week. The collision reconstructionist should have a preliminary report before too long, but I'm not definite about when that will be."
She said there was still no conclusive evidence that speed, aggressive driving or inebriation were factors.
"There was no indication or reason to suspect alcohol had anything to do with this crash."
Police confirmed there was no natural gas leak in the town after emergency responders detected the distinct odour and a half-kilometre evacuation zone was set up around the scene.
Police are asking for anyone to come forward who may have been passed by the B.C. Ambulance as it travelled between Quesnel and Hixon prior to the collision. Anyone who may have witnessed this crash is also asked to call investigators at 250-561-3100.
