Elderly couple die in head-on crash

Two elderly people are dead after a head-on crash north of Levin this morning.

The accident happened about 11.30am when a southbound BMW saloon and a northbound Subaru Legacy collided on State Highway 1, south of the Waitarere Beach turn off.

The elderly couple who were travelling in the BMW died at the scene.

The sole occupant of the Subaru, a 20-year-old man, was airlifted to Palmerston North Hospital in a serious condition, police communications manager Kim Perks said.

The deceased couple, who were in the mid to late 60s, lived locally.

Senior Sergeant Nick Dobson said the crash happened on a bend in the road.

" It's too early at this stage to speculate on cause," Mr Dobson said.

"The road had to remain closed while we recovered the vehicles and we used a crane to recover one of the cars as lifting rather than dragging the vehicle off of the road enables us to preserve any evidence that might assist with the investigation."

Both lanes of SH1 were initially blocked but the road was reopened shortly before 3pm.

Police said the road was dry and conditions clear at the time of the accident.

- NZPA