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A group of four work mates in a rental car are believed to be the victims of a horror car crash in Victoria's north east.
The crash happened on the Mansfield-Woods Point Rd in Piries, near Mansfield, 220km north-east of Melbourne, at about 7am.
Police believe the driver of the car, who was believed to be travelling with colleagues from central Victoria, lost control and hit an embankment.
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The car then spun back onto the road and hit a tree in a field, police said.
The vehicle then erupted in flames, with all four occupants killed at the scene.
Police said the "confronting scene" of wreckage was found by a witness just before 8am.
"It's obviously completely traumatic for them to be confronted with a scene like that," Victoria Police Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said.
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Police said the car rental company was based in Gippsland.
They are working to identify the victims, but believe they are from the Benalla, Shepparton or Mansfield areas.
Police are investigating whether speed, distraction or even an animal collision were factors in the crash.
"The difficulty we have is that with such a catastrophic scene and the impact of the fire is trying to establish the identity of the people involved," Weir said.
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The collision is the latest in a series deadly car crashes in the state.
A week ago, multiple people were killed in the regional Victorian town of Daylesford when a car ploughed into a pub garden.
It brings the state's road toll to 34 more deaths in 2023 compared to last year.
