Toddler, woman in her 20s killed in fiery crash on NSW's mid-north coast
Emergency services responded on Thursday just after 9.30am to reports of a crash on Hat Head Rd near the tiny coastal town of Hat Head, near South West Rocks.
Officers from the local Mid North Coast Police District found the vehicle engulfed in flames after it collided a tree.
Police found the body of a woman they believed to be in her 20s and a child believed to be two-years-old inside the vehicle after crews from Fire and Rescue NSW extinguished the fire.
Both are yet to be formally identified.
One local woman posted on social that a friend of hers was one of the first to see the crash and tried to save the occupants.
'They tried to rescue them with a few others and sadly there was no way possible before the car went up,' she wrote.
'They are gutted.'
The small Hat Head community of 365 people expressed an outpouring of sympathy on social media following the news.
'There has been an incredibly sad update on yesterday's crash on Hat Head Road,' an admin on a community Facebook page wrote.
'The HHC Admin Team's deepest sympathies go to those in the car, and their friends and family.
'And to everyone in Hat Head and close by, we hope you all find the strength to get through this horrible event.'
Local NSW MP Michael Kemp posted on social media alerting his community to the incident.
'Sadly there has been a single car crash resulting in a fatality on a Hat Head Road at Hat Head. Please avoid the area for emergency services to access the accident,' he posted on Thursday.
The federal MP for the region Pat Conaghan also posted about the 'tragic news'.
'My thoughts go to family and friends who are dealing with this unimaginable event,' the Nationals MP said.
'To our community, a reminder to stay safe on our roads this holiday season, don't take risks, drive to the conditions and ensure your vehicle is maintained to safety standards.
'Any life lost on our roads is one life too many.'
Police have established a crime scene and are investigating the cause of the crash.
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