A second child has died following a single-vehicle crash at Parwan, west of Melbourne, after a four-wheel-drive carrying seven children rolled on Tuesday afternoon.
Victoria Police said an 11-year-old boy died overnight after being airlifted to hospital with critical injuries.
A seven-year-old girl died at the scene of the crash, which happened shortly before 4 pm near the intersection of Nerowie Road and Parwan-Exford Road.
Five other children were taken to hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
The driver, a 34-year-old woman, was also taken to hospital for observation.
Detectives from the Major Collision Investigation Unit are continuing to investigate what caused the vehicle to roll.
Police said the woman had picked the children up from school before the crash.
Detective Sergeant Tony Gentile said the scene was extremely distressing, with witnesses stopping to help before and after emergency services arrived.
“From my understanding, the scene was quite hectic, people everywhere, witnesses who witnessed it; they stopped and rendered assistance,” he said.
“Obviously, with seven children, they were distressed, and they were cared for by paramedics, members of the public and police.”
Emergency services, including police, paramedics and firefighters, responded to the crash, while an air ambulance was used to transport the critically injured 11-year-old boy to hospital.
The boy later died from his injuries.
Detective Sergeant Gentile described the incident as a devastating tragedy.
“This is just a really sad set of circumstances, very sad,” he said.
“We just ask the public to drive to the conditions and be mindful of their surroundings.”
Police are working to determine the circumstances leading up to the rollover and have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
Investigators are particularly interested in speaking with anyone who saw the 4WD before the crash or who may have dash-cam footage from the Parwan area around the time of the incident.
The deaths of the two children bring the human toll of the crash into stark focus, while five other children continue to recover from their injuries.
Police have not released further details about the identities of the children.
Anyone with information or relevant footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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