A 23-year-old man is dead and two others are injured after a group of Ottawa-based cyclists were struck by a tractor trailer in New Brunswick.

Police say three cyclists were hit by a passing tractor trailer while they were riding along Highway 7 between Saint John and Fredericton Thursday afternoon.

The collision scattered pieces of bicycles and camping gear across several metres of the busy highway.

One of the cyclists was killed. Two other males were sent to hospital in Saint John to be treated for not life-threatening injuries. One is being treated for a leg injury; the other is reportedly shaken up more than anything else.

The cyclists were in New Brunswick as part of the Otesha Project, an Ottawa-based youth-led charity group that uses theatre to teach Canadians about the environment.

CTV Atlantic reported the man killed was not a Canadian citizen. However, he was riding with the Ottawa group. Police are currently attempting to locate the man's next of kin.

Several other cyclists approached the area a short time after the fatality. It is unclear how many cyclists were in the group.

The Otesha Project offers month-long cycling tours. The tour through New Brunswick was called the Highlands and Islands Tour. It started Sept. 7 in New Brunswick and was scheduled to wrap up in Prince Edward Island later this month.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Andy Campbell