A street race may have led to a horrific car crash in Brampton Saturday killing two girlfriends right in front one of their husbands.

Cynthia Dougherty, 49, from Beeton, ON, was driving with her 44-year-old friend Maria Dalsass from Palgrave, ON when a car struck Dougherty's burgundy Grand Am. They both died at the scene.

The husband of one of the women who died was travelling in another car when the crash occurred, a Peel police spokesperson told CTV.ca. He was in a car right in front of the one his wife was in and he heard and saw everything from his rearview mirror.

"It's spectacular in the worst sense of the word," said Const. Adam Minnion. "We can't confirm yet if speed racing caused the accident, but we are investigating that avenue."

Six cars and one tractor trailer were involved in the collision that happened just before noon Saturday, at Highway 50 and Castlemore Road. Another driver was sent to the hospital with minor injuries and a number of others were treated for non life-threatening injuries.

Police shut down the highway in both directions to investigate the accident, from Mayfield to Castlemore.

Two brothers were arrested at the scene after witnesses told police they saw the two driving their cars at a speed of 140 km/h in an 80 km/h zone. One was driving an Audi and the other a BMW. They were not seriously hurt in the crash, although the Audi was reportedly mangled.

"The two cars meet the legislative threshold to be seized under the legislation," Minnion said.

Under new legislation which came into effect on Sept. 30, police can seize the cars of drivers going more than 50 kilometres per hour over the posted speed limit. Those drivers then automatically lose their driver's licence for seven days and can't get their car back for a week.

In this case, because two people died, police immediately took the suspects into custody.

Brian Machado, 27, and Steven Machado, 22, both of Mississauga, have both been charged with two counts of criminal negligence causing death. They are being held in custody pending a bail hearing.

"It's a very serious charge," Minnion said, adding that further charges could be laid once authorities finish their investigation.

The accident happened just as the OPP carried out a speeding blitz on Ontario highways during Thanksgiving weekend.

Sgt. Cam Wooley told CTV News Saturday more than 200 people have had their cars impounded since the anti-street racing law came into effect in early October. Wooley said police are arresting people at the rate of two drivers per hour.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out that going at that speed is a danger," Minnion said.

This was the second fatal accident in Brampton in 24 hours. A woman was killed Friday night in a two-car crash in the Finch and Steeles Avenues area.