Police say alcohol may be to blame for a crash Sunday that killed a 71-year-old Agassiz motorcyclist in Harrison Hot Springs.

Mounties say the man was killed after his motorcycle collided with a car being driven the opposite direction on Hot Springs Road at around 4:12 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

RCMP spokesperson Corp. Holly Marks said alcohol "is considered a factor" on the part of the car's 62-year-old driver, who was taken to hospital but later released.

The year has been a deadly one for motorcyclists in the Lower Mainland, with the most recent death being the eighth fatality of motorcycle and ATV riders in the region.

tolsen@chilliwacktimes.com