Police say a 34-year-old Rotorua woman is assisting with their enquiries after a fatal incident in Bay of Plenty's Matata

Emergency services were called to a report on Saturday afternoon of two people being injured by a third person while in a vehicle - which left the road and crashed.

One of the victims died at the scene while the other is in a stable condition in hospital.

Detective Inspector Lewis Warner says the victims are known to the alleged offender - and they're working to understand why this happened.

He says support has been offered to the members of the public who were first on scene.