An 85-year-old Niagara-on-the-Lake man is dead after the minivan he was driving collided with an SUV and landed in a pond in a rural area of town on Wednesday evening.

Emergency crews frantically searched the pond near Church and Stewart roads for more than an hour after being called to the scene round 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Niagara Regional Police said the man was driving a 2015 Dodge Caravan eastbound on Church Road and apparently headed home.

He “proceeded through the intersection” and his minivan collided with the SUV, which was northbound on Stewart Road, police said.

It remains unclear if the minivan driver stopped at the intersection prior to the crash and a police spokesperson told The Lake Report the force’s accident reconstruction team is investigating that aspect.

The impact of the collision sent the minivan careening off the road, where it landed in a large pond nearby.

“Tragically, the male driver was recovered and pronounced dead on the scene,” police said.

The 78-year-old St. Catharines woman who was driving the 2008 GMC Acadia SUV and a passenger in her vehicle were unhurt, police said.

In a statement issued Thursday morning, police declined to release the names of those involved “out of respect for victim privacy” and their families.

On Wednesday evening, Niagara Regional Police and firefighters from the Niagara-on-the-Lake and St. Catharines fire departments blocked off the road while emergency crews dove into the pond, looking for survivors.

Emergency medical personnel and a rescue boat also were on the scene.

Niagara-on-the-Lake fire chief Jay Plato said his department was called out just before 6 p.m.

The Acadia SUV had damage to its left side and a stop sign at Church and Stewart roads was bent flat to the ground.

• This is a developing story. Check back for further updates.

UPDATE #1: Driver, 85, dead after minivan submerged in pond following crash in rural NOTL

An 85-year-old man is dead after the minivan he was driving collided with an SUV and landed in a pond in rural Niagara-on-the-Lake on Wednesday evening.

Emergency crews frantically searched the pond near Church and Stewart roads for more than an hour after being called to the scene round 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Niagara Regional Police said the man driving a 2015 Dodge Caravan was eastbound on Church Road when he “proceeded through the intersection” and collided with the SUV, which was northbound on Stewart Road.

It was unclear from the police statement if the minivan driver stopped at the intersection prior to the crash.

The impact of the collision sent the minivan careening off the road, where it landed in a large pond nearby.

“Tragically, the male driver was recovered and pronounced dead on the scene,” police said.

The 78-year-old woman who was driving the 2008 GMC Acadia SUV and a passenger in her vehicle were unhurt, police said.

In a statement issued Thursday morning, police did not release the names or hometowns of those involved.

On Wednesday evening, Niagara Regional Police and firefighters from the Niagara-on-the-Lake and St. Catharines fire departments blocked off the road while emergency crews dove into the pond, looking for survivors.

Emergency medical personnel and a rescue boat also were on the scene.

Niagara-on-the-Lake fire chief Jay Plato said his department was called out just before 6 p.m.

The Acadia SUV had damage to its left side and a stop sign at Church and Stewart roads was bent flat to the ground.

• This is a developing story. Check back for further updates.

Earlier story:

Emergency crews were frantically searching a pond in rural Niagara-on-the-Lake on Wednesday evening after a car was submerged in the water following a collision near Church and Stewart roads.

Niagara Regional Police and firefighters from the Niagara-on-the-Lake and St. Catharines fire departments blocked off the road while emergency crews dove into the pond, hoping to find survivors.

Emergency medical personnel and a rescue boat also were on the scene.

As of about 7 p.m. Wednesday it was unknown how many people were in the submerged vehicle.

Niagara-on-the-Lake fire chief Jay Plato said there was an “accident at the intersection of Church and Stewart” just before 6 p.m.

A crowd of onlookers gathered around the scene. Some in the crowd said the vehicle already had been submerged for more than an hour.

It’s unclear exactly what caused the crash.

A second vehicle on the scene had damage to its left side and a stop sign at Church and Stewart roads was bent flat to the ground.

• This is a developing story. See NiagaraNow.com for updates.