SAINT-EUSTACHE - An early-morning car crash in St. Eustache has killed two young men and left another passenger fighting for his life.

The accident is believed to have been caused by high speed driving and occured at around 5 a.m. in a 70-kilometre-per-hour zone near Fresniere and McMartin in a residential part of the city northwest of Montreal.

The driver and a front-seat passenger died of their injuries. The first death was announced almost immediately, while the second was death was confirmed at around 2 p.m.

The two backseat passengers were ejected from the vehicle. One of the two, a young man, is in critical condition while the second backseat passenger, a young woman, suffered less-serious injuries.

The car split in two after hitting a tree.

All of the individuals involved were young adults aged around 19 and 20.

One nearby resident told CTV Montreal that motorists sometimes flout the speed limit on that stretch of road.

"Sometimes my door is open and we hear a whoosh and I tell my husband, 'Oh my God, she passed fast'," said Nicole Dutour.