2 young men killed in east-end Montreal car crash

Two young men aged 18 and 19 are dead after an early-morning crash in Montreal's east end.

The incident took place around 2:15 a.m. ET Saturday, according to Const. Jean-Pierre Brabant of the Montreal police.

The car was travelling west on Notre-Dame Street East when the driver lost control and crashed into a tree on private residential property.

The car then ricocheted off the tree and hit the home's balcony in a secondary impact.

Five young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 — four men and one woman — were in the car. Two passengers riding on the passenger side of the car were pronounced dead in hospital; the other three are in critical condition.

Speed played a factor

Johanne Morin lives in the home that was damaged by the crash.

She said she was in her kitchen when she heard a loud bang, but thought it was a strong gust of wind.

It was only when a stranger rang her doorbell to tell her there was a smoking car on her lawn that she saw the wreckage.

She said the stranger wanted to warn her, in case there was an explosion.

The car did not explode, although it was totalled. First-responders had to use the jaws of life to extract the passengers.

People living near Notre-Dame Street East say speeding on the street has worried them for years.

Brabant said speed played a factor in the collision. Police are still investigating whether alcohol played a role.