Two killed in fatal collision in South Kohala

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Alcohol and speed are likely to blame in an early Sunday morning crash that killed two people and sent two more to the hospital, according to the Hawaii County Fire Department.

Alcohol and speed are likely to blame in an early Sunday morning crash that killed two people and sent two more to the hospital, according to the Hawaii County Fire Department.

A collision between a full-size pickup truck and a compact sedan occurred around midnight near the intersection of Kawaihae Road and Queen Kaahumanu Highway. Emergency units from the South Kohala Fire Station responded to the scene, including a ladder truck, fire engine and an ambulance, as well as ambulances from the Waikoloa and Waimea Fire Stations.

When rescue personnel arrived at 12:17 a.m., they found two men, in their late teens or early 20s, had been ejected from the sedan. One man died at the scene. The other man had life threatening injuries and died at North Hawaii Community Hospital, the Fire Department stated.

The pickup truck driver, a man in his 40s, and the sedan driver, in his late teens or early 20s, were taken to North Hawaii Community Hospital, the Fire Department stated.

No further information was available on the conditions of the people at the hospital or the accident at 9:15 a.m. Sunday. The names of the victims are being withheld pending positive identification, police said.