The devastated father of four children killed with their mother in a "catastrophic" crash on a Queensland highway has spoken publicly about the tragedy for the first time.
Charmaine Harris McLeod, 35, and her children Aaleyn, 6, Matilda, 5, Wyatt, 4, and Zaidok, 2, were killed when she was overtaking a vehicle and slammed into an oncoming truck about 200km north of Brisbane on the Bunya Highway on Monday night.
The 47-year-old truck driver escaped and attempted to free the victims as the car was engulfed in flames but was unable to save them.
He suffered burns to his arms while trying to help and was taken to hospital for treatment, according to a Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman.
James McLeod, the father of the four children, released a brief statement on Tuesday evening.
"I love them very much and they will be surely (sic) missed with all of my heart," he wrote.
"They were beautiful souls and were loved by all who knew them."
It's understood McLeod, who lived in Hervey Bay, had recently separated from McLeod, but he was still in regular contact with the children.
Friends offered their love and support to McLeod on social media.
"James McLeod I am here for you … sorry about your four angels," one person wrote.
Aaleyn and Matilda's classmates and teachers at Kawungan State School wrote on Facebook of their devastation.
"A terrible tragedy," one post read.
"RIP to Charmaine and her beautiful kids."
School principal Mark Jones remembered Aaleyn and Matilda as happy girls.
"They were both joyful and friendly children who will be greatly missed by all their friends and teachers," he said in a statement.