North

Man charged with drunk driving in fatal accident in Whitehorse

Anthony Andre, 20, was charged in relation to an accident early Monday morning that killed a man and a woman.

Anthony Andre, 20, charged in relation to Monday's accident on Hamilton Boulevard that killed 2

Balloons and flowers left near the accident scene on Hamilton Boulevard. A man and a woman were killed in the single-vehicle crash on Monday. (CBC)

Yukon RCMP have charged a man with drunk driving for his role in an accident that killed two people and injured another on Monday in Whitehorse.

Anthony Andre, 20, is facing two counts of impaired driving causing death, one count of impaired driving causing bodily harm, as well as "associated charges" related to impaired driving, RCMP say in a news release. 

Police say Andre is from Haines Junction.

The single-vehicle accident happened about 6:30 a.m. Monday on Hamilton Boulevard near Falcon Drive.

Police said they went to the scene and found an 18-year-old man and an 18-year-woman, passengers in the vehicle, already dead. Another passenger was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The accident happened on Whitehorse's Hamilton Boulevard early Monday morning. (Philippe Morin/CBC)

Andre was arrested and taken to hospital and later released into police custody.

His first court appearance was scheduled for Tuesday in Whitehorse.

First Nation offers counselling

The names of the two teenagers killed have not been released by police. But a statement on Tuesday from Kwanlin Dun First Nation Chief Doris Bill says the two were Kwanlin Dun citizens.

The First Nation has counsellors available at its potlatch house as well as the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre. It's also asking for financial donations for the families affected.

Bill says the community is also grieving another young man who died on the weekend.

"This is an extraordinary situation. Therefore, I am appealing to the larger community for financial assistance. These families have drained their financial resources and have to arrange other funeral services now," Bill's statement says.

Yukon's Department of Education also issued a statement on Tuesday, offering condolences and saying it was making counsellors available to "affected schools and communities."

F.H. Collins Secondary School has opened its First Nations room "to any students who may need supports," the statement reads.