A newborn baby and four elderly people are among six victims who instantly died in a horrific head-on collision described as one of the worst car crashes in decades.
Two cars collided along a rural road in South Taranaki, New Zealand, on Wednesday morning after a string of accidents due to icy conditions.
Four elderly people, all travelling northbound in one of the cars, died at the scene.
In the other car, the male driver and newborn baby instantly died.
A newborn baby and four elderly people died instantly in a head-on collision in New Zealand
Roads have been closed as the Serious Crash Unit continues investigation close to Waverley
An eight-year-old girl in the backseat and a woman in the front passenger seat were both airlifted to separate hospitals in a critical condition, and may not live.
Police have not yet revealed the identities of the victims, although it’s understood the second car may have been a young family.
The cars crashed into each other around 11 am at the intersection of Ihupuku Rd and the State Highway, close to Waverley Racecourse.
Three rescue helicopters, two fire engines, three ambulances and police officers at scene
Three rescue helicopters, two fire engines, three ambulances and dozens of police officers were sent to the ‘chaotic’ crash site.
A local woman working close to the crash scene told the New Zealand Herald that the scene was ‘a mess’.
‘It looked like a vehicle had crossed the centre line and collided head-on with another vehicle,’ she said.
Locals said the road was wet and slippery after a heavy frost on Wednesday morning.
The roads were closed for a couple of hours as the Serious Crash Unit continued to investigate the terrible collision.
Police have cautioned all the motorists across Taranaki and surrounding regions to be ‘extremely cautious’ as four crashes have been reported because of ice on the road since 5am.
The crash is being described as the worst car crash in decades after the 1963 Northland tragedy when a bus carrying crashed over a slope and killed 15 of the 35 passengers it was carrying.