Stuart Highway fatal: 17-year-old driver dead in crash near Katherine

A 17-year-old boy has died after his vehicle crashed south of Katherine in the early hours of the morning. Police have not said whether any causative factors were identified.

NT Police say a 17-year-old male driver died after he was involved in a single-vehicle crash in the early hours of Sunday morning on the Stuart Hwy south of Katherine. Picture: File

A 17-year-old boy has died after his vehicle crashed south of Katherine in the early hours of Sunday morning.

In a brief statement, NT Police said the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received reports about 4.20am of a single vehicle crash on the Stuart Hwy, 30km south of Katherine.

The 17-year-old male driver was pronounced deceased upon emergency service arrival.

A crime scene was established and a diversion put in place for motorists travelling in the area, but the highway was reopened later in the day.

Investigations are continuing, police said.

Police were silent on whether any causative factors such as fatigue or speed had been identified by major crash investigators.

The fatality brings the number of lives lost on NT roads to 48, well in excess of the number of deaths recorded in 2023.

At the current death rate, the NT is on track to have its worst year on local roads since the late 2000s.