A teenage girl was driving a stolen car which crashed into a brick wall, killing three people and injuring three others.
The packed Toyota sedan was carrying six teenagers, all aged between 12 and 16, when it went out of control in Coolaroo in Melbourne's north just after midnight (AEDT), police said.
The 16-year-old girl from Sunbury who was driving, a 12-year-old boy from Preston and a 14-year-old girl from Pascoe Vale all died at the scene.
A 16-year-old Broadmeadows boy was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
A 15-year-old boy from Dallas and a 14-year-old Lalor boy were taken to the Royal Children's Hospital in a stable condition.
Police say speed appears to have been a factor in the crash.
Premier Ted Baillieu said the tragedy highlighted the need to talk to young people about the dangers of driving.
'As a father you just despair at moments like this and you just feel for parents,' he told ABC radio.
'Any parent who's got kids at that age would be choking, I think, about this news this morning.'
Police said the maroon Toyota sedan was believed to have been stolen from a Coolaroo address on Wednesday night.
The car was travelling south on Pascoe Vale Road near Barry Road when it veered off the road and hit a wall just after midnight.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp said police were trying to piece together what caused the accident.
'As to why that driver lost control, given the age of the person it could be just general inexperience travelling at speed,' he told reporters.
'Who knows what was going on in the vehicle at that time. There could have been people moving around, she could have been knocked, I just don't know, it's all conjecture at this stage.'
Mr Crisp said police were always shocked by such accidents.
'As police officers, whether the most junior attending these scenes or the most senior ... we take these personally, and we shake our heads when we see these sorts of situations.
'We know that some young people engage in risk-taking behaviour. It's about what we can all do as a community, as family, as friends, to try and protect, discourage and support young people that might engage in this sort of activity.'
Police are asking any witnesses to contact them.
The crash takes the state's road toll to 242, compared with 234 this time last year.
Neighbour Sevda said the crash happened in front of her house and she rushed out to help.
'When we got there, there was one boy standing around, walking around ... one boy outside the car,' she told Fairfax Radio.
Sevda said the car was so mangled it had almost become one piece.
'The back seat was now joined to the front seat,' she said.
She said they couldn't get a response from the four people still in the car, but the boy laying on the ground next to the car was conscious and told them: 'I'm not okay'.
She said she had lived on Pascoe Vale Road about eight months and in that time had not known it to be a high-speed road.
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