Provincial police are reporting multiple fatalities in a single vehicle collision on Highway 17, in the west part of Greater Sudbury. The crash happened around 8:48 a.m., on New Year's Day, when the vehicle struck a rock cut.

OPP media officer Constable Michelle Coulombe confirmed to CBC News that three people in the car were killed, and another two were injured.

She says two passengers in the vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene, while another died later in hospital.

Coulombe says one of the passengers is in serious, but stable condition, while another passenger in the vehicle suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The driver was not hurt.

The identities of the victims won't be released by police until families are notified. Coulombe couldn't say if they were related.

OPP investigators will continue to look into what may have happened.

"They take measurements and photos and they'll do a vehicle examine to see if there was any defects with the vehicle, and they'll piece together the collision and see what happened," Coulombe said.

She also explained the area where the crash happened along the Trans Canada Highway.

"There's a median that separates the eastbound lanes and westbound lanes. The westbound lanes are just east of the [Highway] 144 interchange and there's a rock cut on one side, and that's what the vehicle struck."

OPP had closed a portion of Highway 17 between Highway 144 and Municipal Road 55 for the investigation.

It reopened around 4 p.m., Wednesday.