Northern Territory Police say six people have died in a “tragic” head-on crash involving a road train and four-wheel drive along a major highway.
Key points:
- The two vehicles collided on the Stuart Highway near Pine Creek on Friday afternoon
- NT Police have confirmed six people died in the crash, including a child
- Due to the severe nature of the crash, identification of the deceased is expected to be “a long process”
Detectives are continuing to investigate the incident, which occurred on the Stuart Highway near Pine Creek — 225 kilometres south of Darwin — on Friday afternoon.
A Mitsubishi Pajero collided with a road train towing three trailers, causing both vehicles to catch fire.
NT Police confirmed on Sunday that six occupants in the four-wheel drive have been killed as a result of the crash, including a child.
The driver and passenger of the road train both survived with non-life threatening injuries.
Officer in charge of the NT Police Forensic Science Branch, Bruce Payne, said his team was attempting to confirm the identities of those killed.
“Due to the severe nature of the crash, identification of the deceased is likely to be a long process, as we work to bring some closure to the families involved, and to understand how the crash occurred,” he said.
Detective Senior Sergeant Brendan Lindner said the recovery stage of the investigation had now been completed.
“This was a confronting crash that has resulted in significant loss of life,” he said.
“I would like to commend the work of all those involved in this tragic incident, including those first on scene who quickly contacted emergency services.”
The six deaths take the number of lives lost on NT roads in 2023 to 19.