Three people were left in critical to serious condition, following a crash on State Highway 95 near Te Anau overnight.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi advised of the crash, on the highway near the intersection with William Stephen Rd, shortly after midnight.
A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said three patients, all in critical to serious conditions, were transported to both Invercargill and Dunedin hospitals by helicopter and ambulance.
The highway was closed for several hours but in an update at 8.45am the NZTA advised it had reopened.
In a later Southland crash, one person sustained minor injuries in a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 6 near Lumsden about 1.50am.
Police said the road was blocked for a time until the vehicle was moved.
