Serious crash in Canterbury leaves 13 injured

A serious crash in Canterbury's Selwyn district has left more than a dozen people injured, two of them critically.

Police were called to the scene on Greendale Road in Darfield just before 6pm.

Hato Hone St John said six ambulances and two critical-care units responded to the scene of the two-vehicle crash involving a car and a van.

Thirteen people with injuries ranging from minor to critical were assessed and 10 patients were taken to Christchurch Hospital.

Police said the road would remain closed, while the Serious Crash Unit examined the scene, and motorists should avoid the area.