Three tourists dead in ’sickening’ head-on crash
Three Chinese tourists are dead after a head-on crash in South Canterbury that one witness described as ‘‘catastrophic’’.
A further five people were injured when a four-wheel drive and car collided on Braemar Rd, between its intersection with TekapoTwizel Rd (State Highway 8) and Hayman Rd at 10.55am yesterday. The unsealed road is a popular scenic detour taking in Lake Pukaki.
A Chinese Consulate spokeswoman said police told her the three
dead were part of a group of five tourists in a car that collided with a four-wheel drive. The two others were in Dunedin Hospital, she said.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Callon said the crash occurred on the brow of a small hill. All occupants of both cars were wearing seatbelts, he said.
‘‘Any crash is an absolute tragedy, and in this case three people have died. It doesn’t get much worse than that.
‘‘This is going to leave a scar on a lot of people’s lives now – it’s not just the people involved in the crash. It’s the emergency workers but also the people who were first on
the scene, so we extend our condolences to all those people involved.’’
Inside the boot of the rental car were two suitcases and several bags, one with a JetStar carry-on tag.
Braemar Station Shearers Lodge owner Hamish Mackenzie arrived at the scene shortly after the crash, where he saw a rental car sideways on the road ‘‘all mangled up’’.
‘‘It was a head-on between some tourists and a logging crew ... a double-cab sort of thing.’’
The crash was a ‘‘sickening’’ mess, which had left him ‘‘shaken up’’. ‘‘I’ve never seen anything that catastrophic. It took a bit to sink in.
When you see that sort of thing so close to home you certainly get shaken up from it.’’
Braemar Rd ‘‘deserved respect’’ from motorists, he said. ‘‘It’s a gravel road, with blind corners and blind hills you come over the top of, and if you’re not on the left hand side of it, there’s a fairly big risk.’’
A Harmer Earthmoving Ltd employee said he was speaking to police at the scene of the crash and declined to comment further.
St John spokesman Gerard Campbell said three people in a serious condition were taken to Dunedin Hospital by helicopter and
two in a moderate condition were taken by ambulance to Timaru Hospital.
Yesterday afternoon, Southern District Health Board (DHB) spokeswoman Nicola Mutch said one patient was in a critical condition, one in a serious condition and another was still being assessed.
The patients taken to Timaru Hospital requested privacy, so status updates were unavailable.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman Andrew Norris said about 12 firefighters from Tekapo and Twizel were sent to the scene.