A newborn baby is among the victims of a horrific car crash in South Taranaki this morning.
Six people are dead and two have critical injuries after the head-on crash near Waverley. Five of the victims were adults and one was a baby.
Four of the victims were in a vehicle travelling north. The driver of the other, southbound car and a newborn baby in that vehicle were also killed. All six died at the scene.
Police said the front-seat passenger of the southbound car - a woman - was airlifted to Wellington Hospital with critical injuries. An 8-year-old girl has been taken to Waikato Hospital for treatment.
Emergency services were called to the crash, on a sweeping bend with an 85kmh advisory speed, near Waverley Racecourse, shortly after 11am.
At the scene this afternoon, Central District policing manager Inspector David White said police were working to notify the victims' next of kin as well as working to determine the circumstances of the crash.
Acknowledging the fine day around him, he said: "That this happened on a day like today is just unbelievable and just devastating for all those involved.
"I really want to thank those who were first at the scene for their prompt action - coming across what must've been an absolute horrible scene."
He said although officers were yet to determine what had happened leading up to the crash, it was clear the vehicles had collided head-on on the slight bend on the road.
He thanked members of the emergency services - St John, Fire and Emergency and police - who were first to respond to the scene; acknowledging they too had had to see and deal with a difficult situation today.
"Our thoughts are with the families. But for our staff, we have feelings too. We will deal with those involved today, but later on we will provide for our staff who need it.
"Dealing with a crash like this today, with six people dead, is just devastating. There are no other words for it, really.
"A lot of our staff have young families and having to deal with that is not pleasant. But our thoughts are with their families first. They're the ones who have actually lost the baby."
Police said the serious crash unit was now investigating.
At the time of the crash, the weather was clear and the road was dry.
"The tragedy will affect a large number of people in our community. Our sympathies and condolences go out to the family, friends and loved ones of those involved,'' a statement said.
Officers said the priority now was making sure support was provided to those who need it after the "heartbreaking'' crash.
"At the moment we're just investigating exactly what's happened," Whanganui Sergeant Colin Wright said.
A local woman leaving work 500m from the accident scene described it as a mess.
She said it looked like a vehicle has crossed the centre line and collided head-on with another vehicle.
A staff member at Waverley Four Square said there was a big frost this morning and the roads were still slippery late morning.
Waverley is a town in the South Taranaki district, 44 km northwest of Whanganui.
Taranaki police had issued a warning to motorists earlier today about icy conditions on the road, after four crashes since 5am.
