Two people are dead after the vehicle they were in ended up in the water during a lakeside party near Prince George, British Columbia.

The bodies of a man and a woman were found inside the vehicle, which was pulled from Kwitzil Lake, also known as Gravel Pit Lake, just before 4 p.m. PT Sunday afternoon.

Prince George RCMP say witnesses reported the vehicle went into the lake, which is about 40 kilometres west of Prince George along Highway 16, at around 4 a.m. Sunday.

Cpl. Craig Douglass said the area was the site of a large party overnight.

"It is believed that hundreds of persons attended," he said in written statement Sunday.

"This investigation is in its early stages," Douglass said earlier. "At this time, no determination has been made as to what led to the vehicle going into the water."

Search and rescue crews located the vehicle in the water several hours before an RCMP underwater recovery team could assemble.