Four police officers have been killed in a horror crash involving a truck on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway.
“The Police Association Victoria is shocked and immensely saddened by the deaths of four of our dedicated members, who were killed while protecting the community on the Eastern Freeway this afternoon,” association secretary Wayne Gatt said in a statement.
Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton is expected to speak at the scene on Wednesday night.
Victoria Police said in a statement the exact circumstances are still to be determined and the Major Collision Investigation Unit is at the scene.
A male truck driver has been taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Images from the site show a damaged police highway patrol car and a struck SUV near a large, white semi-trailer.
A black car is crumpled underneath the truck and has been covered in a blue tarp.
Mr Gatt said his association is providing immediate and ongoing support to the officers’ colleagues and families.
“This is a brutally sad reminder of the danger police face in the course of their service, every minute of every shift,” he said.
“We mourn their loss, we grieve with their families and colleagues, and we will never forget them.”
The freeway’s lanes are closed in both directions between Bulleen Road and the Chandler Highway, and drivers have been told to find an alternative route.
