Four kids, two adults killed in NT outback fiery crash
Two adults and four children have died after a car and road train collided south of Darwin in an unprecedented horror North Territory crash.
NT Police said a 2009 Mitsubishi Pajero with registration CD56WW was travelling northbound on the Stuart Highway near Pine Creek in Katherine on Friday when it veered into the southbound lane and collided head-on with a road train carrying mangoes.
Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said officers believe there were four children and two adults in the Pajero at the time of the crash.
The driver and passenger of the road train managed to escape before a “fireball” erupted between the truck and car.
The pair tried to save the six people but couldn’t help due to the blaze.
The six people in the Pajero died at the scene.
The two men in the road train were taken to hospital where they remain with serious injuries
“The psychological injuries they will carry for the rest of their lives is phenomenal,” Murphy said.
Shaw’s Darwin Transport, the two men’s employer, said it is arranging support for the pair and their families.
“One of our trucks with two drivers travelling from Darwin to Perth was involved in a particularly destructive and tragic accident when an oncoming vehicle veered into the path of our vehicle and it was confirmed late yesterday that six people lost their lives in this accident,” Shaw’s said in a statement.
“This is a deeply traumatic event, particularly for those involved and their immediate workplace colleagues.”
Detective Senior Sergeant Brendan Lindner said the road train was carrying 10,000 litres of fuel at the time of the crash which contributed to the enormous blaze.
Police are working to identify the people inside the Pajero.
“The intensity of the fire meant there were little human remains left,” Lindner said.
Using DNA analysis by forensics, Murphy said officers hope to know the identities of the occupants by Thursday.
Anyone who hasn’t heard from their loved one is urged to contact police.
Murphy said officers are looking at a range of causes for the crash including fatigue, distraction and alcohol.
The speed limit on the highway is 130km/h.
“It is very upsetting, it is very distressing,” he added.
“We have never seen anything quite like it.”
Nineteen people have lost their lives on Northern Territory roads so far this year.
