Easter road toll seven, and many more injured
The holiday road toll reached seven last night – the highest number in three years.
Malaysian students from the University of Canterbury (UC) were among the multiple fatalities on Kiwi roads this Easter.
The official Easter road toll period began at 4pm on Thursday and ended at 6am yesterday.
The first fatality of the long weekend occurred on Saturday. At 10.30am a motorcyclist and tractor collided on Piakonui Rd in Matata-Piako, Waikato.
The motorcyclist was taken to hospital with critical injuries and died that night.
The toll jumped by Saturday afternoon after two vehicles and a motorcycle crashed, leaving three people dead.
Among those were UC students Megat Ashman Aqif Megat Irman Jefni and Wan Nur Adlina Alisa from Malaysia.
Malaysian media reported Irman Jefni had just celebrated his 21st birthday on March 8. “He was a cheerful person and would tell [his family] whenever he went out anywhere since studying in New Zealand in July last year.”
A man on the motorcycle also died from the crash. He was part of The Patriots – a nationwide motorcycle club of former and present members of New Zealand’s armed forces.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim posted his condolences to the families of the two victims. “I also pray for the three more Malaysian students who were injured in this incident to be healed as soon as possible.”
The other three injured were also students from UC, and a student from Victoria University of Wellington.
Police said that another person from the crash died overnight on Sunday.
A UC spokesperson said as far as they were aware the fourth person who died “was not a UC student”.
Inspector Craig McKay said a large number of emergency staff, including three rescue helicopters, responded to the incident.
Several of the injured were trapped in the wreckage and needed to be cut out, McKay said.
Yesterday police were continuing to appeal for witnesses of the horror crash.
One person died and another was seriously injured following a two-vehicle crash on SH5 on Sunday. Police were called to the crash at 5.05am just south of Rotorua.
“Police would like to speak with people who saw a silver Mazda Atenza travelling along State Highway 5 around 5am,” a spokesperson said.
By Sunday afternoon the toll had reached seven after a three-vehicle crash on SH6.
Police were called to the accident in Okaramio at 2.28pm.
A person had died at the scene while two suffered moderate injuries.
Police were wanting to speak to anyone who witnessed the crash or saw an “olive coloured Nissan Maxima” travelling along SH6 between 2pm and the time of the crash.
Police said the weekend’s fatalities were avoidable deaths. “That’s seven families that will never see their loved ones again, seven Easters ruined and seven avoidable deaths,” road policing director Superintendent Steve Greally said.
Last year the Easter holiday road toll was one, a 68-year-old motorcyclist.