Truck kills cyclist on N.B. highway

A 23-year-old man is dead after a transport truck collided with several cyclists from an Ottawa-based youth group Thursday on the highway between Saint John and Fredericton.

RCMP Cpl. Robert Landry said two people received minor injuries and were taken to a hospital.

"They will be fine," he told CBC News. "One had minor injuries and the other a little more serious injuries, but they will be fine."

The accident happened on Highway 7, in the southbound lane near Petersville Hill just before 3 p.m. AT.

CBC reporter Catherine Harrop said she could see at least five police cars at the scene, but no ambulances, and three cyclists at the side of the highway were being interviewed by emergency workers.

Harrop said the southbound lane had been reduced to one lane and a truck had been pulled over beyond the police blockade.

A spokesperson for The Otesha Project confirmed the cyclists are part of the Ottawa-based group that promotes sustainable environmental choices.

The group performed earlier Thursday in Oromocto and had been cycling toward Grand Bay for another performance in the evening.

"This group of young people liked to spread awareness about choices that young people can make," said Landry. "They're actually a theatrical group that travels by bicycle from city to city putting on theatrical performances."

RCMP drove several members of the cycling group to their destination after the collision.