2 dead after vehicle crashes into Merced County canal

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two people were killed Saturday afternoon after a vehicle crashed into a canal in Merced County, authorities said.

Witnesses say a woman was driving a vehicle at a high speed when she lost control. The vehicle collided with a power pole and rolled into a canal at Santa Fe Avenue and Cunningham Road near Le Grand, the California Highway Patrol said.

The two had been submerged in water for a while before the Merced County Sheriff's Dive Team arrived and they were pronounced dead at the scene. Fire crews are now working to recover the vehicle and search for anyone else who may have been inside.

Authorities have not identified the victims but said the driver was a 20-year-old woman with a male passenger in his late 20s, both from Planada.

The CHP is looking into how the crash happened.

Stay with ABC30 for updates.