One person has died and two others have been seriously injured in a crash on the Crown Range this afternoon.

Emergency services were alerted to the crash involving two vehicles at 3.55pm.

One News reported that St John responded with four helicopters, four ambulances, one manager, one rapid response unit and one major incident support team.

Two crews from Wānaka's Fire and Emergency NZ first responder team attended the crash, and one person had to be extracted from a vehicle, One News reported.

The Crown Range is closed and expected to remain closed for some time as the Serious Crash Unit examines the crash scene.

The alternative route is via the Kawarau Gorge.