Three people, aged between 16 and 17 died after they crashed into a truck with their Ford Ranger on Friday just before 4 pm in Invercargill.
The truck driver had minor injuries.
Families of the victims had the scene of the crash to help with the grieving process.
The three victims were from Bluff, south of Invercargill.
Bluff Community Board chair Raymond Fife said the community will give victims’ families as much support as possible.
Officials haven’t provided additional detail on how many fatalities took place. Some media reports say 4 people were killed.
Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt termed the incident heartbreaking.
It was still unclear what contributed to the crash.
Police have urged witnesses to come forward if they have information about the crash and contact them at 105, quoting event number 220422/7161.
