A multi-vehicle smash on a Queensland Highway that killed three people was likely caused by a hatchback driving into traffic at an intersection, police said.
Emergency crews were called to Maryborough West on the central Queensland coast about 9.50pm on Friday night following reports of the crash.
Two semi-trailers, a dual cab ute, a hatchback and a caravan trailer had collided on the Bruce Highway near the Walker St intersection, with residents reporting hearing explosions from kilometres away.
Two of the vehicles caught fire and one of the trucks was carrying a load of lithium batteries which likely contributed to the loud explosions and fireball.
‘Sadly, at least three people died at the scene and three others received minor injuries,’ a police spokesperson said on Saturday.
The multi-vehicle pile up on the Bruce Highway at Maryborough West (pictured)
One truck was carrying lithium batteries which likely contributed to the explosions. Police said the crash was caused by a hatchback driving into traffic at an intersection
The area remained closed to traffic as of Saturday morning with the removal of the multiple heavy vehicles a large scale operation.
The Forensic Crash Unit remains on site and is investigating.
At a press conference on Saturday, police said the two male truck drivers died along with a 53-year-old Maryborough man who was driving the hatchback.
A man, 27, and woman, 22, from the Northern Territory in the ute were injured, as was a 50-year-old man from Townsville towing the caravan.
One of the trucks was carrying the lithium batteries and the other had a load of watermelons.
Wide Bay police chief Acting Superintendent Paul Algie said it appeared from initial investigations the hatchback had driven out into traffic causing one truck to hit it and then collide with the other truck.
‘At this point all we are looking at is a failure to give away,’ Insp Algie said.
A woman on a local online group said she heard explosions from a suburb 5km away.
‘I heard the explosions here at Oakhurst. Was horrible, my heart dropped, so sad,’ she said.
A driver who had been on the road near the site told the group there was a truck on fire and multiple smaller explosions as the cargo of paint cans ignited.
‘Police stopped me there and told me to turn around.
‘It was also raining pretty hard. Not too mention sitting there I could hear and see small explosions, which was reported later to be paint cans.
‘I’m devastated to hear that people passed away in this event.’
Motorists are asked to avoid the area.
Anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to contact police.