Three adults have been pronounced dead at the scene of a two-vehicle crash in the Canberra suburb of Whitlam, with two more adults evacuated by emergency services.
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The new deaths on Sunday bring the ACT road death toll to 17 for 2022, the highest annual toll since 2010.
A red hatchback and a white van collided on the intersection of Coppins Crossing Road and John Gorton Drive at approximately 2.45pm on Sunday.
Detective Superintendent Mick Calatzis said ACT Policing were hopeful that there will be dashcam footage of the incident, and asked for anyone with information to contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
The three adults that died were all travelling in the red sedan. A fourth adult in the sedan, believed to be in a critical condition, and one adult in the van were both transported from the scene.
"Regrettably, this is the 17th fatality on ACT roads this year," Mr Calatzis said.
He would not speculate on the cause, saying "it's an ongoing investigation."
These fatal incidents impacted the wellbeing of all emergency services workers, he cautioned in urging the community to take greater care on the roads.
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Jim Walsh from ACT Fire and Rescue said they will be supporting all workers to ensure their wellbeing is looked after.
"All we can do is support ACT Policing's message in slowing down," he said.
"Take the extra one or two minutes to get to your destination safely, removes all the trauma for families, friends and emergency service workers in these situations."
Emergency services have asked the community to avoid the area while the road is closed during the initial investigation.
The latest fatalities follow the deaths of two teenage girls in a single-car vehicle crash on the Monaro Highway one week ago.
Last month a young woman died in the ACT's first e-scooter road accident, and in a separate incident a man has died following a single-vehicle crash in Murrumbateman.
In all those cases ACT Policing appealed for all road users to slow down, as speed was a significant factor in the lethality of accidents.
Harley Dennett
Former federal politics bureau chief for the Canberra Times, via a career that's taken me from rural Victoria to Washington DC. Telling the stories of my local LGBTI community brought me to political journalism, where I've covered eight budgets, four national elections in two countries, Defence, public service and international governance.
Former federal politics bureau chief for the Canberra Times, via a career that's taken me from rural Victoria to Washington DC. Telling the stories of my local LGBTI community brought me to political journalism, where I've covered eight budgets, four national elections in two countries, Defence, public service and international governance.
