A forensic examination will be carried out on body which was badly burnt after a car hit a power pole east of Invercargill and burst into flames on Saturday morning.
Senior Sergeant Dave Raynes, of Invercargill, said the blue 1990 Toyota Corolla was travelling on the Tokanui Gorge Rd Highway near the village of Gorge Road when it hit the pole about 4am.
"Eleven-thousand-volt power lines have come down and triggered a fire. The body has been badly burned and will need to be identified forensically."
The vehicle was transported from the accident scene to Invercargill with the deceased still inside.
Snr Sgt Raynes said the matter was with the coroner now and it could take several days before the body, believed to be male, was identified.
No other vehicles or people were involved in the incident.
However, Snr Sgt Raynes asked anyone who saw the blue Toyota in the area before the accident to call Invercargill police.
