Teenagers in fatal Bochara crash in Victoria were students at same ...

28 May 2023

An investigation continues into a single-vehicle crash that claimed the lives of four teenagers in Victoria's west on Saturday.

Key points:Four teenagers died in the single-vehicle crash in Bochara, near HamiltonThe teenagers involved were students at Baimbridge College in HamiltonGrief and trauma counsellors will be sent to the community on Monday

The region's mayor confirmed four of the teenagers involved in the accident were students at Baimbridge College in Hamilton, about 300 kilometres west of Melbourne.

Two females and two males died in the crash near the small community of Bochara.

Another female teenager was flown to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne and remains in a critical condition. 

Police believe the driver of the sedan lost control of the vehicle on Wannon-Nigretta Road and hit a tree on Saturday morning.

A crashed car being towed.

Police said the driver of the vehicle likely lost control of the car and hit a tree.(ABC News)

Southern Grampians Mayor David Robertson said the accident hit his community hard.

"I think the town's still in shock, the families would certainly be grieving and the shock would be enormous for the immediate family," he said.

"The ripples that have gone out through the community have just been horrendous and a lot of the community are in shock, right through."

A man in a jacket

Southern Grampians Mayor David Robertson said grief and trauma counsellors will be deployed to Hamilton.(ABC News)

Mr Robertson said a trauma unit and grief counsellors would be on hand in the community from Monday.

"I think everyone in the community knows someone in the families, whether it's a grandma or a grandfather, uncles, aunties so forth. It's affected everybody," he said.

"It's an absolute tragedy for our small community here."

A car wreck

Handwriting could be seen on the wreck of the sedan which was towed from the crash site on Sunday morning.(ABC News)

Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives examined the scene of the crash on Saturday and the vehicle was towed from the site on Sunday morning.

The interior and exterior of the car was decorated with handwriting in pen, including the words "drive safe" on the front passenger seat.

The crash occurred on a relatively quiet, rural road which runs past Hamilton Airport and the tourist attraction Nigretta Falls.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the accident, coupled with the death of a young footballer in Kyneton yesterday, left two regional communities in grief.

"It's an incredibly difficult time for those families, friends, people who love those that have been caught up in this and we send our best wishes on what will be an incredibly challenging time," he said.

"People should be assured there will be full investigation on both counts, both fronts, so we can try and understand what has happened here."

Posted 1 hours agoSun 28 May 2023 at 4:01am, updated 32 minutes agoSun 28 May 2023 at 4:38am

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