Ten seriously injured after pickup collides with truck on State Highway 5, Tarawera

Ten people were seriously injured after a pickup truck collided with a truck on State Highway 5 near Tarawera on Monday morning.

Emergency services were responding to the collision of two vehicles on SH5, between Tataraakina Rd and Pohukura Rd, at around 9.52am on Monday.

Police said the accident, outside the Tarawera Café, involved a van and a truck.

A spokesman for the St John ambulance said one person was in critical condition while the others were in serious condition.

The road is blocked and closed from the Napier and Taupō ends. Police said it would be closed for some time.

A spokesperson for Tarawera Café said the accident involved a truck carrying wine and a van carrying workers who had just called the cafe and were returning to the road.

The liquid, believed to be wine, leaked onto the road after the accident.

A New Zealand Fire and Emergency spokesperson said three fire trucks, two from Napier and one from Bay View, were heading into the accident.

“We have also asked Taupo for help, as it is a collision between a truck and a van,” he said.

Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust General Manager Ian Wilmot said a helicopter is on its way to the scene.

A spokesperson for St John Ambulance said they were notified of the accident at 9.52am and that they had dispatched three helicopters, four ambulances and a St John manager in a rapid response vehicle.

There are also three more helicopters on standby.

Motorists are asked to avoid the area or expect delays.

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