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Police are investigating speed, alcohol and irresponsible behaviour as possible causes of a crash that claimed the lives of four central Victorian men and left three seriously injured.
The head-on collision occurred just before 10pm last night on the Heathcote-Rochester Road in Burramboot.
Two teenagers were travelling south in a Holden sedan, which veered off the road and collided with a 4WD travelling in the other direction.
The 18-year-old driver from Bendigo and his 19-year-old passenger from Elmore, and a 53-year-old and 52-year-old, both from Rochester, were killed in the collision.
A 21-year-old is fighting for his life at the Alfred Hospital, an 18-year-old is in a serious but stable condition at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and a 28-year-old sustained minor injuries and remains at the Bendigo Hospital.
Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill said "excessive speed" and possibly alcohol had been a factor, with witnesses also reporting "hoon behaviour" shortly before the crash.
He said it was believed the young driver of the Holden and his passenger had been consuming large amounts of alcohol throughout the day at a nearby campground.
Just after 9pm, they were seen in the nearby vicinity "driving erratically".
"After that point the driver has driven at excessive speeds and lost control of the vehicle," he said.
“There are matters ... that would indicate that we have causal factors including alcohol, speed, irresponsible behaviour on behalf of one of the drivers.
"The five people in the other vehicle were going about their business and two of them have now lost their life."
All five men in the 4WD worked as fruit pickers in the nearby area and were driving home from a trip to Melbourne.
Assistant Commissioner Hill said a local orchard farmer witnessed the crash and pulled the surviving passengers out of the burning wreckage.
"We are just lucky there weren't more lives lost," Assistant Commissioner Hill said.
"The cars went up in smoke and the witness ran to the site to pull the passengers from the vehicle."
Assistant Commissioner Hill said it was a completely and utterly avoidable incident.
“This is just another example where you’ve got young people, alcohol and speed. It’s a recipe for disaster," he said.
"And that's what this is - a true disaster.
"I would say to all parents to go and hug their kids and have the conversation with them about taking responsibility on our roads."
The crash site was near the Elmore Summer Send Off B&S ball, however it is unknown if the two teenagers had attended the event prior to the crash.
Secretary Sam Shotton said she had not heard anything about the incident.
"If they had been here previously, I would have heard something because they would have known people here," she said.
"And 99.9 per cent of attendees camp overnight here - so it is very rare that people leave on the Saturday night."
She said there was a voluntary booze bus for people to use as they left the event, with police also setting up outside the campsite as people left on Sunday morning.
It’s the second four-person fatality to have happened on Victorian roads in less than a fortnight; on February 28, four members of the same family were killed in the Gippsland town of Koo Wee Rup.
The state’s road toll sits at 54, compared to 42 the last time last year.
Police have urged anyone with information about the Burramboot fatality to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit crimestoppers.com.au.
UPDATE: Four people are dead and three have been taken to hospital with serious injuries following a head on collision at Burramboot near Elmore on Saturday night.
Police are at the scene of the collision that occurred just before 10pm.
It is believed two vehicles collided head on while travelling on Heathcote-Rochester Road.
An Ambulance Victoria spokesman said that at least one of the cars caught alight almost immediately after impacting.
Investigators can confirm that two occupants of the first car are deceased while three other occupants of the same vehicle have been taken to hospital with serious injuries.
All are believed to be aged in their teens or early 20s.
The two occupants of the second car are also deceased.
Major Collision Investigation Unit is investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision.
The deceased are yet to be formally identified.
More to come.
EARLIER: THERE have been multiple fatalities in a two-car collision on Saturday night in Burramboot, near Elmore, according to police.
The crash occurred about 9.50pm.
An Ambulance Victoria spokesman said that at least one of the cars caught alight almost immediately after impacting.
He said a man in his 20s was being airlifted to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne for a critical head injury and a second man in his late teens or early 20s was being airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital for serious abdominal injuries.
A third man was taken to Bendigo Health with abdominal injuries.
Victoria Police could not confirm the number of fatalities.
More to come...