A woman has died and a man has been taken to Canberra Hospital with serious injuries after a tow truck crashed in the Snowy Mountains late on Saturday.
NSW police said the woman, who was a passenger in the tow truck, died after the vehicle - which was towing a ute - left the Snowy Mountains Highway and slid down an embankment at Kiandra, south-east of Talbingo about 7.30pm.
Police said the woman had died by the time paramedics from NSW Ambulance and officers from Monaro Police District arrived at the scene.
The officers worked to release the 54-year-old driver, who was taken to Canberra Hospital in a serious condition, police said.
The owner of the ute being towed by the tow truck, a 29-year-old women, and her young son, were travelling in the back seat of the vehicle and escaped the crash with minor injuries. They were taken to Cooma Hospital for observation.
The highway was closed between Miles Franklin Drive at Talbingo and Denison Boundary Trail near Providence Portal for more than eight hours following the accident.
The road was re-opened about 4am.