A woman has died and nine people including children are injured after a four-wheel-drive towing a trailer collided with other vehicles in a horror start to the summer holidays.
The fatal crash in Runnymede, north-east of Bendigo, occurred when the Prado 4WD carrying two adults and four children veered onto the wrong side of the road, hitting with another vehicle, police said.
A woman travelling in an oncoming Volkswagen sedan was killed.
Another women and a man inside the sedan were taken to the Bendigo hospital, according to the Bendigo Advertiser.
The southbound 4WD and its six passengers were towing a car on a tandem trailer at the time of the collision.
Two adults and a two-year-old boy inside the 4WD were taken to Eucha hospital in stable conditions.
Two other children – a 15-year-old girl and a 14-year-old– were airlifted to the Royal Children's Hospital in stable conditions.
Emergency services were called to the Northern Highway, on the Campaspe River at about 3.15pm.
The accident increases the state's already-high road toll, a week before Christmas, with 279 lives lost this year, compared with 243 the year before.
More to come
JUST IN: A woman has died and nine others are injured after a multi-vehicle smash at Runnymede. Latest in #7News at 6PM. pic.twitter.com/PuebtoZeX0
— 7 News Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) December 16, 2016
15:12 Northern Hwy, Runnymede - Rescue safe (2 appliances, CFA district 20 ) https://t.co/Nda4LKfpvO
— Incident Alert - D20 (@IncidentAlert20) December 16, 2016