Police confirm five are dead and two seriously injured following a tragic bus accident on State Highway 5 near Rotorua earlier on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Inspector Brent Crowe said there were 27 people on board the bus, which was travelling south in poor conditions when the incident occurred.
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There were high winds, rain, fog and the road was slippery when the bus failed to take a "moderate to easy" bend and flipped onto the driver's side. The driver was not seriously injured.
Liang Zhi, a diplomat from the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, told The Associated Press the bus was carrying Chinese tourists and Crowe said police were working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Consulate to notify the families of the victims.
He couldn't confirm if any children died in the accident, or if those on board were wearing seatbelts.
Crowe said police were still working on recovering the dead from the crash site, and the road would remain closed for at least the next few hours.
"This is still very much in an evolving recovery stage," he said. "We've got to do this meticulously carefully and with respect for those that have lost their lives."
The serious crash unit and the commercial vehicle safety team are attending the scene alongside other police staff. Crowe said it was too early at this stage to say whether charges would be laid.
Newshub.
