Two people were killed last night in a crash between a car and a truck on State Highway 1, near Kinleith, south of Tokoroa.

Emergency services were called to the scene about 9.10pm but two people were found dead at the scene, police said this morning.

Another person was seriously injured.

“The Serious Crash Unit has examined the scene, and iquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.”

State Highway 1 was closed overnight between Kinleith and Ātiamuri but the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) website shows the road is now open.

Fire and Emergency NZ northern communications shift manager Ryan Geen last night said Tokoroa, Putāruru and Rotorua volunteer firefighters were sent to help.

They were still at the scene at 11pm.

A serious crash between a car and a truck has led to the closure of State Highway 1 between Kinleith and Ātiamuri. Image / Google Maps

It’s the latest in a string of fatal crashes over the past few days that has brought the national road toll to 120, according to provisional NZTA data.

That’s the highest number of road deaths since 2022, when 122 people had been killed on our roads by April 30.

On Wednesday, one person was killed and three seriously injured in a crash in Hawke’s Bay.

On Monday afternoon, a person died in a crash in rural Taranaki.

Three people were killed late Monday night when their car collided with a tanker truck on the Desert Rd.

In Christchurch, a woman died in hospital following an overnight crash, police said on Tuesday, while last Saturday a person died in hospital after being hurt in a crash in Canterbury two days earlier.

Former Māori All Blacks captain Dinny Mohi and another person died in a crash on Anzac Day while travelling to a dawn parade in Rotorua.