Three people are dead after a vehicle plunged down an embankment Tuesday night near Invermere, and police believe speed and alcohol played a role.

According to Mounties, emergency crews were called to a report of a single-vehicle crash at about 10:30 p.m. in Wilmer, a small community just north of Invermere.

RCMP Cpl. James Grandy said officers arrived to find a vehicle that had driven off the road and down an embankment.

“The driver was taken to hospital with what’s believed to be serious non-life-threatening injuries, while three passengers were sadly pronounced deceased,” he said.

“Speed along with intoxication are both believed to be a contributing factor.”

Grandy said the crash took out power lines and caused an outage in the community.

He said police and the BC Coroners Service are investigating.