The car, a Mitsubishi Verada left the road about 200 metres from the intersection with Maitland Road and ploughed through bush, splitting in half and catching on fire about 4.30am.

Emergency services personnel who attended the accident scene described it as among the worst accidents they had attended.

Jayde Duncan, 13, and Cassandra Ford, 15, lost their lives in the crash while Belinda Duncan, 36, Jake Wyborn, 21, Kara Duncan and Bradley Parnell were all taken to the John Hunter Hospital.

Graeme Silver, ambulance district manager for the Hunter Valley, said it was one of the worst accidents he had seen as a paramedic.

Paramedic Paul Alexander said: “It was terrible. “The vehicle itself was unrecognisable.”

Police crash investigation officers were at the scene to find out why the car left the road when it did.

Forensic officers combed the area and seized all the pieces of wreckage they could find for further mechanical examination.

The impact sliced the vehicle in half, hurling some of the four injured occupants from the wreckage as chunks of chassis burst into flames.

A police spokesman said the crash investigation unit will carry out mechanical and forensic tests on the vehicle and an analysis of the accident scene.

The accident, among the worst that has happened in the city, sent shockwaves through the community.

Traffic slowed to view where the accident happened and floral tributes and messages were left at the crash scene.