OPP have confirmed one person is dead after five vehicles crashed on Hwy 3 around 2:30 p.m. this afternoon.

Spokesperson Stephanie Moniz tells CBC six other people were taken to hospital with various injuries, but none of those are considered to be life-threatening.

"At this point we are asking people to avoid the area if at all possible," Moniz said.

Highway 3 will be closed for several hours as traffic investigators examine the crash.

"I'm really sad to hear there were injuries and, of course, a fatality," said Essex MPP Taras Natyshak, who has been vocal about safety on that highway. "For far too long it has been identified as a really dangerous stretch of road."

Natyshak wants to see improvements on Highway 3 as soon as possible.

"I don't think we can take much longer or much more of the accidents that happen there," he said. "My hope is that we're able to identify exactly what is causing so many accidents on that stretch."