There was an eight-vehicle pile up near Ponoka during the first winter storm of the season.

The incident occurred during rush hour this morning south of Ponoka on Highway 2 near the Morningside overpass and Secondary Highway 604. It is believed the incident was caused when a car was broken down along the breakdown lane when several vehicles piled into it.

Officials say a total of eight vehicles were involved in the incident, which shut down Highway 2 southbound lanes for some time while crews and tow trucks cleared the scene. Officers diverted traffic to the Morningside exit and back on to Highway 2, which meant for slow travelling.

At the same time, two B-train semis were involved in a minor collision not too far north of the original pile up.

It is believed there were minor injuries in both incidents.

At about 10 a.m. members of the Ponoka Integrated Traffic Unit received a call of a semi across both southbound lanes at Highway 2 and the Highway 2A exit.

Wintry road conditions may have been a factor in the incident.