‘In a blink of an eye, seven lives are gone’

Marlborough area commander Inspector Simon Feltham added that it was ‘‘a horrific thing’’ for emergency services to deal with.

For one emergency worker, it was their third day on the job. Staff who attended the scene are receiving support.

Investigations were still under way, but early indications were that the van probably crossed centreline before the collision with the truck, Borrell said.

Feltham added that it was too early to speculate, and police would be looking at the range of factors involved.

Seven people from a family, including a baby who was under the age of one, died in the collision. Two people from the van suffered critical and serious injuries, while the truck driver had minor injuries.

Borrell said disaster victim identification staff were at the crash scene.

The focus of police was on ensuring the victims are supported, and that the circumstances of the crash were fully investigated, he said.

Picton chief fire officer Wayne Wytenburg said the scene was ‘‘absolutely horrific’’.

His crew had to help remove people from both the truck and the van. The driver was the sole occupant of the truck, while the occupants of the van appeared to be a family, he said.

‘‘It’s still really sinking in ... it’s very, very sad.

‘‘Every emergency service person there was a professional doing their job, but you could see in their faces the disbelief.’’

Wytenburg said he held a health and safety debrief with his team immediately after their response, and all emergency staff who attended would go to a more indepth workshop today to help them deal with the trauma. Wytenburg urged people to take care on the roads.

Koromiko resident Trish Rawlings said she heard two bangs outside her rural property on SH1..

‘‘Then I heard a siren, so I went down to the gate to have a look,’’ Rawlings said.

‘‘There were emergency vehicles there by then, helicopters – they got there quick. It must have been within 10 minutes of the crash.’’

A Big Chill truck was lying in a ditch between the road and the railway, she said.

There was also a vehicle that looked like it could be a van or a campervan, but it was partly obscured behind an ambulance, Rawlings said.

By 9.15am police were setting up scene investigation cones and taking photographs, she said.

Big Chill Distribution chief executive Michael Roberts said he was aware of the