More than a dozen of the 32 troops inside the trucks were injured in the crash on Tregeagle Road, south of Lismore.

The two Rheinmetall MAN military vehicles had been travelling in convoy on their way to help the SES with a fallen tree.

The circumstances of the crash are under investigation but police say the first truck lost control on the wet and winding road and rolled several times before coming to a stop in a nearby paddock.

The second vehicle was following directly behind and locked up and tipped as the driver tried to avoid a collision.

The Sydney Morning Herald chief photographer Nick Moir was among the first to come across the scene.

“Coming up the hill and saw this giant thing up on the road. I stopped, got out my long lens to have a look and was like, holy crap,” Moir said.

“I got out to see what was going on, and immediately, there was only a couple of medics and it was obvious there was a lot of injuries.”

All personnel were taken to hospitals across the region, in Lismore, Tweed Heads, Ballina and Byron Bay, some with spinal injuries and broken bones.

“In my 32 years of policing, this is a largest accident scene I’ve been to,” Superintendent Scott Tanner said.

All personnel inside the vehicles were wearing seatbelts.

“We want to extend our absolute gratitude to the NSW Ambulance, NSW Police Force, NSW SES and the NSW Rural Fire Service who all assisted in getting those soldiers out of those vehicles,” Jonathan Earley from the ADF said.

On Sunday night, 12 ADF personnel remained in hospital, including two in a serious condition in Lismore Base Hospital.