With files from The Canadian Press
A public candlelight vigil is scheduled for this Saturday in memory of the six young people who died in a single-vehicle crash in Barrie at the weekend.
The vigil will take place at the Spirit Catcher on Lakeshore Drive at 8 p.m.
One of the organizers is Meaghan Messina, a family friend of 22-year-old Curtis King, who was killed in the crash.
"We're just looking to celebrate the six young lives lost in the tragic accident and just show the families the support that they have surrounding them in the community," Messina told Barrie 360.
She said candles will be provided, though the public is welcome to bring their own.
"We're going to have a memorial on the steps at the Spirit Catcher and a photo of each young person lost," explained Messina. "It's just going to be a very quiet and sensitive time."
"We just want the families to know that the community is here, and we are thinking of them, and we are sending our love."
Meanwhile, despite some media reports, Barrie police have not released the names of those who were killed in the crash and have said the probe into the "tragic event" will take some time to complete.
On Monday evening, family members were escorted by police to the lip of a large concrete pit in a construction zone where the crash took place and could be seen tossing flowers into it.
The City of Barrie says the intersection at McKay Road and Veteran's Drive has been closed since the spring and the area is currently the site of a municipal construction project.
Police have said four men and two women - all of them in their early 20s - who were reported missing on Saturday were believed to be the six people found dead in the crash early Sunday, which had not been reported when officers came across the scene.
Banner image: A memorial is shown near the scene of a fatal crash in Barrie, Ont., Monday, Aug.29, 2022. Police have said four men and two women who were reported missing on Saturday are believed to be six people found dead in a crash early Sunday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jordan Omstead
