Two girls are dead and one is in critical condition following an incident on a rural property in central Alberta on Tuesday evening.

According to RCMP, the three girls between the ages of 11 and 13 were playing in the back of a truck loaded with canola near Withrow, Alta., when they were buried and smothered by the seed.

Those at the scene worked frantically to pull the girls from the truck before emergency personnel from both Eckville and Rocky Mountain House soon arrived.

Two girls, aged 11 and 13, were pronounced dead at the scene. A third, aged 11, was transported to Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton by STARS air ambulance in critical condition.

The RCMP is investigating the incident.

Withrow is about 30 kilometres east of Rocky Mountain House.