3 Singaporeans, ages 21 to 24, killed in 'traumatic' campervan crash in New Zealand
The van had hit a barrier near the small South Island town of Geraldine.
SINGAPORE - Three Singaporeans were killed in a rental camper van crash in the South Island of New Zealand on 17 April, authorities confirmed on Tuesday (9 May).
In a media release issued by the New Zealand Police, the three people were identified as Sherwin Chong Shi Yun and Yang Xinyue, aged 21, and Vincent Lim Jia Jun, aged 24.
According to news outlet The New Zealand Herald, the van had hit a barrier at the intersection of Te Moana Road at State Highway 79, near the small South Island town of Geraldine, before catching fire at around 1am.
One of the victims in the car had called for emergency services after the crash, said the report.
The New Zealand Herald also reported that a member of the public had notified Hato Hone St John Ambulance of the incident.
Eleven volunteer firefighters responded to the crash that morning, which Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Graeme Mould claimed was "one of the most severe” jobs he had ever attended to.
“The newer ones, I’m not sure they’d been to a crash of that magnitude before - but it was a traumatic event. None of us had been to anything that major in recent times," said Mould told the New Zealand Herald about the severity of the accident.
According to the Herald, the group of three had rented the camper van from a company based in Canterbury.
In the statement, the New Zealand Police also extended their sympathies to the victims' families and friends. Investigations into the crash are ongoing.
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