In a tragic series of events, three pedestrians in their 70s were killed in two separate accidents involving snow vehicles on Tuesday.

A 76-year-old woman was the latest one to be killed on a day that's certain to renew the debate over road safety and snow clearing in Montreal.

Around 2:30 p.m. in Ahuntsic, a truck heading west on Fleury attempted a right turn onto Iberville.  Police confirm there's no stop sign or traffic light at that corner and it does not appear that the driver saw the pedestrian.  The female driver was taken to hospital and treated for shock and police interviewed several witnesses.

The latest death brings the number of Montrealers who have recently died in accidents with snow-clearing trucks to four - a grisly tally during a winter marked by massive snowfalls and bone-chilling temperatures.

Died near hospital

In the first incident Tuesday, a 72-year-old man died at the scene while the woman, 71, died after being transported to nearby Notre Dame Hospital, said police spokeswoman Anie Lemieux.

"The investigation is ongoing," Lemieux told reporters at the scene. "Collision investigators are on site right now to try to find out how this exactly happened."

The names of the victims have not been released.

The truck, which has the words "DM Choquette" printed on the side, is owned by a private company that is sub-contracted by the city of Montreal to help with snow removal.

The driver of the truck was treated at the scene for shock, as were several witnesses.

December death

The incident is not the first time this season that a pedestrian has been killed by a snow-removal vehicle in Montreal.

In mid-December, a 49-year-old woman was killed by a snowplow while crossing in the middle of the street in Cote-des-Neiges.

Mayor reacts

Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay said in a news conference that the deaths were "tragic" and that both drivers and pedestrians need to take extra care for safety reasons.

"I'm not here to blame anyone" he said, adding that snow removal crews are under a lot of pressure to clean city streets quickly.

But he added that pedestrians also need to be extra vigilant to take time and care when crossing city streets.

With files from The Canadian Press