Inspector Paul Borrell, Tasman District Commander:

Seven people have died in this morning’s crash on State Highway 1 south of Picton.

The crash, which happened about 7:30am, was a head-on crash north of Koromiko involving a van and a refrigerated goods truck.

Along with the deceased, one person has critical injuries and one has serious injuries. The injured were flown to Wellington Hospital.

The driver of the truck has minor injuries.

The seven deceased and the two flown to Wellington were travelling in the van. One of the deceased is a child.

The highway south of Picton remains closed while emergency services attend the scene, and is likely to remain closed for most of the day.

Marlborough Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) staff are at the crash scene, as are staff from the Serious Crash Unit.

Any death on our roads is a tragedy, let alone multiple fatalities in one crash.

A crash of this scale has a huge impact on both the community where it happens, that of the deceased’s family and community, and on emergency services who attend.

Police’s focus remains on ensuring victims are supported, and that the circumstances of the crash are fully investigated.

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