Five teenagers have been killed in a horror road smash south-west of Sydney.

The driver, an 18-year-old man, survived the single-vehicle crash and was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries to undergo mandatory blood and urine tests.

Police said his Nissan ute lost control and struck a tree at the intersection of Orange Road and East Parade near the Macarthur Region village of Buxton in the Wollondilly Shire about 8pm on Tuesday.

Nine Network footage showed the mangled wreck and many emergency responders at the scene, while a medical team arrived by helicopter.

Camden police chief Superintendent Paul Fuller said three female and two male passengers died at the scene, which he described as “horrific”.

“I have been in the police for 38 years and it’s one of the worst accident scenes I have ever come across,” he said on Tuesday night.

“They’re all local kids. They all go to the local high school.

“A tragedy of that magnitude is going to have ripple effects through … the local community,” he said.

Some of the first responders would have known the teenage victims, he said.

“Some of these kids are 14, 15. Can I just say to parents, know where your kids are and who they’re getting into a vehicle with,” he said.

The victims are all believed to have gone to Picton High School.

Wollondilly Shire Mayor Matt Gould said the close-knit community was waking up in shock and mourning.

“How do you even begin to process a loss like this?” he told Sydney radio 2GB.

“Our hearts go out to all of the families, all of the friends of those involved.”

Investigators are appealing for anyone with dashcam footage or information to contact them.

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