UPDATE: STORM CLAIMS MAN, 49, TODAY AS STORM BATTERS ORILLIA AND MIDLAND, CLOSING HWY. 11

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

ORILLIA — Muskoka motorists heading south were detoured off Hwy. 11 Friday when the latest winter storm struck Simcoe County causing multiple “very serious” accidents and leading to hospitalizations as snow continued to fall.

This as Environment Canada has issued a snow squall warning for Muskoka where brilliant sun shone in Gravenhurst as of noon hour just 40 minutes north.

Police called the accident, which happened around 9 a.m., “very serious,” with reports of eight or nine transports involved.

The said this afternoon that at 9:07 a.m., OPP from Orillia were dispatched to reports of a multivehicle collision on Highway 11.

A 49-year-old has been confirmed deceased because of this collision and multiple people have been transported to local area hospital with various injuries.

Members from the OPP Traffic Incident Management Team are on scene and investigating.

Highway 11 will remain closed for the foreseeable future from Coldwater Road to Highway 400 for northbound Lanes and County Road 169 to Line 15 for soutbound lanes until the investigation is completed.

In an earlier update at 11:20 a.m. they Hwy. 11 was closed earlier in both directions between Old Barrie Road and Coldwater Road after a multi vehicle collision.

Traffic was rerouted on to side roads that were experiencing higher volumes with similar road conditions resulting in more collisions.

They ask drivers to avoid the area and to venture out for essential travel only.

Hwy. 11 was closed in both directions Friday morning after snow squalls turned off Georgian Bay turned in to a major storm smacking Midland and Orillia today. Photo Orillia Fire

Video online showed a transport turned sideway and a line up of snow-covered northbound vehicles pulled over and people being helped across the median to board an Orillia Transit bus.

Rotary Place in Orillia was opened or travellers forced off the roads.

The storm coming off Georgian Bay extended as far west as Midland.

Police said at 3:30 p.m. this afternoon that Hwy. 11 will remain closed for the foreseeable future from Coldwater Road to Highway 400 for northbound Lanes and County Road 169 to Line 15 for soutbound lanes until the investigation is completed.

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