Emergency services are at the scene of a serious car crash in the Nelson region.
Police said passengers had sustained critical injuries.
The crash, involving three vehicles, happened just before 11am on the Coastal Highway at Redwood Valley.
Diversions are in place Gardner Valley and State Highway 60, and drivers have been asked to avoid the area.
Police said the road would be closed until at least 5pm this evening and drivers travelling between Richmond and Motueka should take the Inland Highway instead.
Burnt out car discovered in Otago
Meanwhile, a burnt-out car has been found crashed into a bridge in Otago.
Police said the white Subaru was found in the early hours of the morning, crashed into the side of Kokonga Bridge, south of Ranfurly.
The occupants of the car have not been found, and police are trying to find out what has happened to them.
The road is closed between Middlemarch and Kyeburn.
