A second child has died following a horror crash involving a 4WD carrying a driver and seven children west of Melbourne, with an 11-year-old boy succumbing to his injuries overnight after being airlifted to hospital in a critical condition. The single-vehicle crash near Parwan, about 60km from central Melbourne, also claimed the life of a seven-year-old girl at the scene, prompting a major emergency response and a police investigation into the circumstances.

The eight-seater 4WD rolled and came to rest on grass between the road and a paddock near the intersection of Nerowie and Parwan-Exford Roads shortly before 4pm on Tuesday. The 34-year-old female driver, who had reportedly just picked the children up from school, was among five other children and herself taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The response involved two Air Ambulance Victoria helicopter crews, two mobile intensive care ambulance crews and seven advanced life support paramedic crews, while Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are appealing for witnesses, CCTV or dashcam footage.