Police have confirmed five people were killed in a collision in Victoria's north on April 20, marking the state's deadliest crash in more than a decade.
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Two vehicles and a truck collided at a rural intersection in Strathmerton, near the NSW-Victoria border, about 2.30pm on April 20.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir told a press conference on April 21 police had pulled over a man for speeding prior to the crash.
He said the male driver of a Mercedes sedan was fined for speeding, allegedly driving at 118km/hr in a 100km/hr zone.
"A short time later [the driver] was involved in a collision with Nissan Navara on the Murray Valley Highway at Strathmerton," Mr Weir said.
"As a result, the Nissan Navara spun and was then involved in a collision with a fully loaded B-double milk tanker."
All five people in the Nissan Navara were killed instantly.
"I've seen the vision from the truck. It's horrific," Mr Weir said.
"It is catastrophic the damage that has been caused as a result of a simple collision that has ended with the loss of five lives."
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Mr Weir said it was a "terribly confronting and tragic scene".
"Such was the nature of the damage that we've had to call disaster victim identification experts and our search and rescue team, to try and investigate how many people were involved," he said.
He said it's believed the woman driving the Nissan Navara was a local and her four passengers were from overseas and working for her in the local farming industry.
The 29-year-old driver of the Mercedes and his female passenger, 20, were taken to hospital with minor injuries, before being released.
The 29-year-old Mercedes driver is expected to appear in Shepparton Magistrates' Court to face five charges of dangerous driving causing death, following a police investigation.
The truck driver was not injured in the collision.
with Australian Associated Press
