Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown says this morning's quadruple fatal crash was another devastating blow to a district still reeling from the destruction caused by this week's flooding.
Four people were killed in an accident involving a van and a truck at the intersection of Cochrane and Wakanui roads at around 9:30am. But Brown wasn't alerted until later this morning.
"About 11 o'clock some information came in that there had been an accident and there had been fatalities," he told 1 NEWS.
"But I didn't know how many until probably another hour and the number had gone up to four by then."
Three died at the scene while another succumbed to their injuries en route to hospital.
One person is in a critical condition, while another is in a serious condition at Christchurch Hospital, Inspector David Gaskin told reporters earlier today.
I NEWS understands the van occupants were an organised tour group of older people.
The loss of life came just hours before the start of the Queen’s Birthday weekend road toll period. (Source: Other)
The truck driver is among those hurt in the crash but wasn't "badly injured" according to Gaskin.
Its believed at this stage, the van had gone through a controlled intersection before crashing into the truck in a "moment's carelessness."
Brown says its a tragic blow for the local community.
"It's devastation that we're all thinking and it's sad. Four people have lost their lives in the district today and it's not good."
Brown has tried reaching out to the local trucking company but is waiting to hear back.
"If need be we will [support the truck driver], but I'm sure their employer will be giving them all the support they need but if they need more, we are here to help."
Earlier this week the Canterbury region was hit hard by wild weather and flooding, washing out roads and flooding homes throughout the area.
Police were called to the crash at 9.30 this morning. (Source: Other)
The district was among the areas worst affected, causing significant damage to the Ashburton bridge.
"On top of what Ashburton has been dealing with in the last week, it's just something we didn't really need," Brown said of the fatal crash.
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