A 30-year-old truck driver has been charged over a fiery six-vehicle crash that killed two people and injured five others on a motorway north of Sydney.
The truck crashed into the back of a car, which burst into flames on the M1 near the Mooney Mooney bridge on Tuesday afternoon.
Two men, believed to be 19 and 52, travelling together in a ute died. They are yet to be formally identified.
Five women, aged between 34 and 75 and travelling in four other vehicles, were taken to hospital, police said.
Three of the women have since been released while the 75-year-old and a 44-year-old woman remain in hospital in a stable condition.
The crash closed two-of-three northbound lanes of the motorway for nearly eight hours, with the road reopening at 1am on Wednesday, while police investigated the site.
Images posted to social media after the fatality showed flames and massive plumes of black smoke rising above the steep, straight stretch of high-speed road.
Aerial footage, aired by the Seven Network, showed the wreckage of multiple cars strewn across the highway, with one smashed against the front of a B-double truck.
The truckie's charges include two counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and one count of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.
His licence has been suspended and he has been granted conditional bail to appear in Gosford Local Court on August 21.
Truck company MWP Transport said in a statement on Wednesday they were helping police with their investigation.
"We have been shocked and dismayed by this terrible accident. Our very deepest condolences go to all those affected," it said.
