RCMP are investigating after a person was killed in a head-on collision on Vancouver Island over the weekend.

Police were called to the crash in the eastbound lane of Highway 18, west of Duncan, on Sunday at 2:22 p.m., according to a news release from North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP .

Witnesses at the scene told police that a compact pickup truck was heading west when it drifted into the oncoming lane and struck a one-ton pickup truck traveling east, according to the press release.

The smaller van ended up in the ditch with the driver trapped inside, police said.

“Crews worked to extricate them while the other driver was transported to the hospital with apparently minor injuries,” according to the release.

The driver of the compact pickup truck was pronounced dead, despite the efforts of first responders, police said.

Highway 18 between Duncan and Lake Cowichan was closed for several hours while emergency services worked to free the driver.

Police said Tuesday that the investigation was still in its early stages and the cause of the accident was not yet known.

Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the collision – particularly the driver of an eastbound white truck who braked and swerved into the ditch to avoid the collision – to come forward and speak to investigators.

Anyone with information or dashcam footage of the crash can contact North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522.