Children are among those killed and injured after a car ploughed through a regional Victorian pub in what police described as a confronting scene that could haunt first responders forever.

Two family groups who knew each other were at the Royal Daylesford Hotel sitting in the roadside beer garden when a BMW SUV came down the street, mounted the kerb and hit patrons about 6pm on Sunday

A young boy, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 40s were killed at the scene. A teenage girl was flown to the Alfred Hospital but died at 9.40pm. Two children were also injured, including an 11-month-old boy at Ballarat Base Hospital who is in a stable condition. Another boy, believed to be about six, is in the Royal Children’s Hospital also in a stable condition, after initially being listed as critical with broken legs and internal injuries. Three adults remain in the Royal Melbourne Hospital, including a 35-year-old woman in intensive care in a serious condition.

Police are waiting on DNA results to confirm the identities of the victims and the coroner has been notified.