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Six people have died in a crash on a major Northern Territory highway, police say, making it the deadliest road incident in the jurisdiction since 2007.
- A four-wheel drive and road train collided on the Stuart Highway near Pine Creek on Friday afternoon
- NT Police say six people died in the crash, including a child
- Forensic specialists are attempting to confirm the identities of those killed
Detectives are continuing to investigate the crash, which occurred on the Stuart Highway near Pine Creek — 225 kilometres south of Darwin — on Friday afternoon.
A Mitsubishi Pajero four-wheel drive collided with a road train towing three trailers, causing both vehicles to catch fire.
NT Police confirmed on Sunday that six occupants in the four-wheel drive have been killed as a result of the incident, including a child.
A spokesperson said it was the deadliest territory crash in 16 years.
The driver and passenger of the road train both survived with non-life threatening injuries.
Officer in charge of the NT Police Forensic Science Branch, Bruce Payne, said his team was attempting to confirm the identities of those killed.
"Due to the severe nature of the crash, identification of the deceased is likely to be a long process, as we work to bring some closure to the families involved, and to understand how the crash occurred," he said.
Detective Senior Sergeant Brendan Lindner said the recovery stage of the investigation had now been completed.
"This was a confronting crash that has resulted in significant loss of life," he said.
"I would like to commend the work of all those involved in this tragic incident, including those first on scene who quickly contacted emergency services."
The six deaths take the number of lives lost on NT roads in 2023 to 19.