One person has died after a car and a bus carrying 40 tourists crashed on State Highway 6 south of Queenstown.

Emergency services responded to reports of a car under a bus near the Devil's Staircase at 7.45am.

Police understand around 40 people were on the bus.

One person in the car has died in the crash. No one else has been injured.

They said the Serious Crash Unit would be investigating and the road would be closed for several hours. There are no diversions available so motorists are asked to avoid the area.

Three fire crews were in attendance, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said.

Freelance photographer James Allan, who is on the scene, said the crash was about 10km south from Jack's Point.

The bus carried Southern Discoveries branding on it, he said.

It appeared the two vehicles had crashed head-on near a corner, he said.

"The car has gone under the bus and bounced back out in the middle of the road."

There were six police cars and fire trucks on the scene at 8.50am.

"There is a massive pile of taxis coming to pick up the tourists."

The crash comes two days after a person was seriously injured in a head-on collision between two cars on State Higway 6 near Devil's Staircase.

St John communications adviser Chrissy Hamilton said one person was flown to Dunedin Hospital with ''serious injuries'' after that crash and two other patients were transported to Lakes District Hospital by ambulance with minor injuries.