KEY POINTS:
A 7-week-old baby and her 48-year-old grandmother died in a two-car crash just after 4pm yesterday.
The accident happened on Thornton Rd between Whakatane and Matata, in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
Senior Sergeant Bruce Jenkins, of Whakatane said the family were "absolutely devastated".
The incident had also been traumatic for emergency services staff and they would be offered counselling.
The baby's mother was driving the car towards Matata when it was in collision with an oncoming vehicle, he said.
The left side of the vehicle, with the grandmother in the front and the baby girl in the back, took the full brunt of the impact.
The mother was airlifted to Waikato Hospital. The baby's grandfather, who was also in the back seat, received minor injuries.
The occupants of the second vehicle were shaken but not hurt.
Conditions were clear and dry. Police are investigating.
- NZPA
