Police say four teens have died in Invercargill crash; three were from Bluff

Four teenage boys have died in a horror crash in Invercargill, says Southland Area Commander Mike Bowman.

Three of the boys were 16 years old and one was 17 years old.

"Yesterday afternoon about four o'clock the Invercargill police and emergency services were called to Queens Drive," Bowman said.

"It involved a Ford Ranger and a concrete truck. Tragically, four young men passed away at the scene."

Three of the young men were from the seaside town of Bluff, south of Invercargill, and it "was a tragedy for the Bluff Community as a whole". It was a small town and the deaths would have a "huge impact".

"Obviously, it's a tragedy for the families of the four deceased young men," Bowman said, his voice shaking. "And we will be working very closely with them."

He added: "No words can explain our sympathy ... to the families and the wider community."

It was still unclear what caused the crash. Bowman said officers would be speaking to a number of witnesses to piece together the events leading up to the collision.

Police were appealing for any witnesses to the lead-up to the crash, and appealed for anyone in the area with dashcam footage to provide it to officers.

Family members visited the site of the crash on Queens Dr this morning.

This would help with the grieving process and give them an understanding of what happened, Bowman said. A blessing was also performed.

Families of the teenage boys killed in the crash were still informing wider whānau of the deaths and police were not ready to name them.

The fatal crash "shook up all the emergency services involved", Bowman said, saying it was traumatic for many who had families themselves.

"It was a horrific scene. But ... our emergency services deal with this unfortunately day-in, day-out."

Bowman thanked members of the public who were first at the scene, while also telling them to "look after yourself" and seek support if needed.

Invercargill Police had called in staff from the broader Southland Region to assist at the crash, which occurred just hours before a fatal stabbing a short distance away.

The truck driver had minor injuries and has been discharged from hospital.

BYSTANDERS RUSHED TO CRASH

Seconds after the horror crash, members of the public frantically clambered onto the wreckage to try to help.

Footage shared on social media by a witness shows the aftermath of the crash.

The video, uploaded live by a man who got to the scene seconds after the crash, shows the ute crushed under the front of the truck, with people clambering over the wreckage to get to those inside.

The crash between a concrete truck and 4WD took place just before 4pm on Friday. Photo / George Heard

The distraught driver of the truck climbs out the window and walks away from the scene in shock.

A group of motorists gathers around the ute and use a crowbar and tools to try to get to those inside the wreck.

"Hang in there mate," one man is heard saying as sirens pierce through the footage.

An off-duty nurse and surgeon appear at the scene and start to assist as the ambulance pulls up.

Bowman thanked members of the public who assisted at the scene, and said they should "look after themselves" and seek support if needed.

People who knew the victims arrived at the scene, including family members.

The family of one of the boys spoke of his death on Facebook.

His brother posted a photograph of them together, captioned: "fly high little bro, I love you so much".

Their mother then wrote "rest in love baby boy".

The Herald has chosen not to identify the teenager.

His Facebook page states he is from Bluff, just south of Invercargill.

Another relative said: "There are no words to express how I'm feeling. I'm absolutely heartbroken I will miss you so much mate. Love you forever."

Bluff Community Board chair Raymond Fife told RNZ he understands three youths from Bluff were killed.

Fife said he was distantly related to one of them.

"They're all devastated. It is a tragedy.

"The community will rally around those people and give them as much support as possible, because Bluff is a small town," he told RNZ.

Flowers have been left at the police cordon surrounding the crash site.

The wreckage has been removed from the road overnight but the street remains closed.

A note on the flowers reads: "Rest in love boys. For ever grateful to be able to know you all."

A police cordon surrounded the crash site this morning. Flowers had been left at the cordon, including one which said "Rest in love boys". Photo / George Heard

The police Serious Crash Unit was at the crash site this morning and more information is expected to be released today about the incident.

Police detective inspector Stuart Harvey said last night that emergency services were called to the two-vehicle crash on Queens Dr, near Queens Park just before 4pm.

"Sadly, multiple people died at the scene."

The number of victims has not yet been released.

A man who lived nearby said he heard "a big bang".

He saw a black four-wheel-drive that had been shunted sideways across the road by a concrete pump truck. The roof of the 4WD was caved in.

There were three men in the truck and they were visibly distressed, the witness said. One was walking up and down the footpath, while the others stayed in the cab.

Nearby residents, and other locals who have travelled past the crash site, earlier posted online about a large number of fire engines, ambulances and police cars at the scene.

It had been raining in Invercargill on Friday.

Emergency services attend the scene of a crash on Queens Dr, Invercargill, yesterday in which four teenaged boys were killed. Photo / Ben Tomsett / ODT

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said they had responded to a crash involving a car and a truck. There were people trapped when they arrived and firefighters were still at the scene just after 5.30pm.

A St John spokeswoman said two ambulances and two management personnel attended.

They were only required to assess one person, who did not require transportation to Dunedin Hospital.

When asked about the condition of other vehicle occupants, she referred comment to police.

Last weekend, four people died on New Zealand's roads during the official Easter Weekend holiday road toll period. That was down on nine from 2021.

Ahead of the long weekend with Anzac Day on Monday, police urged people to be careful on the roads and specifically monitor their speed.