Two people dead in fiery crash on State Highway 3 in Taranaki, police confirm

While it was initially unknown how many victims were involved in the crash, Snr Sgt Andrew Russ confirmed on Wednesday night the death toll remained at two. "The disaster victim identification unit finished their assessment late this afternoon and found the drivers were the only people in the vehicles," he said. Russ earlier told Newshub the northbound vehicle crossed the centre line and collided head-on with the southbound car. The northbound car then caught fire and was "fully engulfed" by the time emergency services arrived at the scene, he said. "These are the ones you never forget, they're horrible ones for all emergency services," Russ said of the crash.