Samoan media are reporting the victims are young men who have been in New Zealand under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme.
It isunderstood the three victims were travelling to Auckland from Bay of Plenty ahead of their return back to Samoa later this week.
The crash happened just before 2pm between Ramarama and Bombay, and involved a truck and three other vehicles. All lanes of SH1 remained closed overnight with diversions in place, but have now reopened.
Family members and friends of the victims have taken to social media to express their grief, shock and disbelief at the news.
Samoa Global News reported that a fourth passenger - also a seasonal worker - was among those injured and taken to hospital.
Lying in his hospital bed, he later took to Facebook to describe what had happened to family and friends back in Samoa, as tears streamed down his face.
The incident follows several fatal crashes involving RSE workers from Pacific countries in New Zealand and Australia, in recent years.
Motorist Tamati Cassin - who arrived on the scene shortly after the crash - said it appeared the truck had been travelling south when it blew a tyre and crossed on to the northbound side, ripping through the barrier wires and hitting a van.
Images from the scene show the median barrier wrapped around the truck’s front wheels.
Counties Manukau road policing manager, Inspector Tony Wakelin, said yesterday it appeared the vehicles had collided while travelling in the northbound lanes, but how it happened was still being investigated.
Multi-vehicle crash involving truck closed all lanes of State Highway 1 in South Auckland near Bombay.
“The three deceased were travelling in the same vehicle. This many fatalities at once is shocking and our thoughts go out to all those affected,” Wakelin said.
“Incidents like this are hard on everyone involved and we are making sure there is support in place for those involved, their families, and our staff who have attended the scene.”
As well as the three people killed, one person was critically injured and two others with serious injuries were taken to hospital.
Cassin said he saw three bodies in the van as well as two injured people in another vehicle. Members of the public had run to their aid, he said.
“When it happened, everyone just jumped out of the cars and ran over to the van and the truck, because the truck was pretty badly damaged, and the van with the bodies in there, people just didn’t know what to do, and [they were] just trying to get them out.”
The crash caused lengthy delays in both directions. Photo / Facebook
Images show vehicle wreckage was strewn across the motorway while dazed motorists sat in the grass.
Some people were seen tending to the injured near their vehicles, while one passerby was using power tools from his vehicle to free those trapped.
