The death toll from a horror car crash in northern Victoria has risen to five as it emerges the driver had just been given a speeding ticket.
A white Mercedes sedan was traveling along Labuan Road in Strathmerton when it hit a Nissan Navara at the Murray Valley Hwy intersection at about 2.30 pm on Thursday.
The force of the crash spun the Nissan Navara into the path of a B-double truck.
The Nissan driver, a local woman in her 60s, and her four international employees were killed instantly.
The Mercedes driver, a 29-year-old man, and his 29-year-old female passenger were taken to the hospital for treatment for minor injuries.
The crash was so bad disaster recovery identification experts and search and rescue teams had to be called in to determine how many victims there were.
Police said charges are expected to be laid and they will allege he did not stop at the intersection as required.
Assistant Commissioner of Road Policing Glen Weir said the Mercedes had been stopped by police and slapped with a speeding fine at 1.43 pm after he was allegedly busted driving 18km over the speed limit.
While police are still investigating the circumstances of the crash, police believe the four international victims are from Asia and were in Australia working in the local farming industry.
At the time of the crash, the Navara driver was dropping her employees home after they spent the day working at her property, Assistant Commissioner Weir said.
The quintuple fatality is the most deadly car accident Victoria has experienced since 2012.