Twenty people died when a limousine ferrying guests to a wedding reception crashed in a picturesque upstate New York town on Saturday.

The majority of those killed were travelling in the over-sized vehicle which police believe hit another car at speed outside a country shop in Schoharie, 170 miles north of New York City.

At least two pedestrians were also fatally injured.

Captain Richard O’Brien of the NY state police department said emergency services were still trying to establish what happened.

He said: "This is a two-vehicle, multi-fatality investigation. It's very preliminary. In it's infancy stages. We have several units investigating."

Witnesses described hearing a loud bang around 2pm and a scene of horror outside the Apple Barrel Country Store with bodies scattered on the ground.