Police have confirmed that two people were killed in a fiery three-vehicle crash in Manawatu yesterday.
Investigators had been struggling to piece together what happened due to the extensive damage at the crash scene on State Highway 1 between Sanson and Foxton.
Two large trucks and a car were involved in the crash, which occurred just after midnight.
One person was confirmed dead yesterday but their gender was unknown.
In a statement this morning, police confirmed that two people had been killed. They were believed to be a 51-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man, both from Levin.
"We are still working through the formal identification process and the crash investigation is ongoing," said Senior Sergeant Nigel Allan.
"We are only 48 hours into this tragic event and we don't yet have all the answers but are working to establish the events leading up to the crash."
State Highway 1 resident Greg Perry told the Manawatu Guardian yesterday that the vehicles burst into flames after a collision.
"It instantly went up in flames. The flames were up to the power poles.
"I thought there might have been flammables on board because I heard some loud explosions."
Mr Perry said the occupants of the car had no chance of survival.
"The people in the car would not have had a chance and no emergency services could have got to them."
- APNZ and Manawatu Guardian staff
