Saskatchewan

9 people killed on Sask. highways during past weekend

More people died on Saskatchewan highways during the past weekend than in the entire month of August.

More fatalities in 3-day period than in all of August

RCMP were called to a number of collisions over the past weekend, in which nine people were killed. (CBC)

More people died on Saskatchewan highways this past weekend than in all of last month.

"It's absolutely heartbreaking," said Tyler McMurchy, spokesperson for Saskatchewan Government Insurance, the province's auto insurer.

"That is a very high number of fatalities for one weekend or for three days in Saskatchewan."

RCMP in the province reported nine fatalities on the province's roads between Friday and Sunday.

They include the deaths of three women from Alberta, who were killed after their vehicle was hit by a stolen truck near Maidstone on Friday, as well as six more deaths due to a number of collisions, single vehicle rollovers and a pedestrian accident.

In addition, a 29-year-old man from the Bruno area was pronounced dead after his ATV rolled in a rural area east of Meacham Friday.

Eight people were reported killed on the province's highways during the month of  August, McMurchy said. 

A spokesperson for the RCMP said it will take some time before the cause of all of the highway deaths are known.

McMurchy said in general most highway fatalities are avoidable, if people buckle up, do not speed and don't drive while distracted or impaired.