Aoraki area commander Inspector Dave Gaskin spoke to media from Timaru Police Station this morning and confirmed five young men – all aged 15 and 16 – have died.
All were Timaru boys, he said.
"Timaru's a very small community...It is a tragedy and it will reverberate around our community for a long time," Insp Gaskin said.
Insp Gaskin confirmed one of the dead boys was found in the boot of the car.
He said his thoughts and prayers were with the family of the young men.
"They woke up today to a nightmare that won't go away," he said.
"Five young boys at that age losing their lives is terrible," Inspector Gaskin said.
Emergency services were called to the single vehicle crash, where the vehicle struck a pole, at the intersection of Seadown Rd and Meadows Rd, at about 7.20pm.
A sixth person, the driver, has been taken to Timaru Hospital in a serious condition, police said.
"Formal identification of the victims remains ongoing."
“To have five lives lost in an instant is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with their families,” Superintendent Steve Greally, director: National Road Policing Centre said.
“Particularly in a small community, the impact of a crash like this stretches far, and everyone in the area will be hurting.”
There were insufficient seats and restraints in the car for the number of people involved in this crash.
“This is incredibly frustrating,” Supt Greally said.
“Seatbelts save lives, and it’s evident that not everyone in this car was belted in."
A full crash investigation will be carried out, however, it does appear speed was a likely factor in this crash.
“Driving at excess speed for the conditions, and not being properly restrained, are two of the unsafe driving behaviours that we know contribute to death and injury on our roads, which is sadly what appears to have happened here.”
Police are yet to speak to the driver.
- additional reporting NZ Herald
