SINGAPORE: Three youths who died in a recent camper van crash in New Zealand’s South Island were all Singaporeans, The New Zealand Herald reported on Tuesday (May 9).
They were identified as Sherwin Chong Shi Yun and Xinyue Yang, both 21, and Jia Jun Vincent Lim, 24.
The accident is believed to have occurred sometime late in the evening on April 16, when the camper van collided with a barrier and caught fire. Emergency services were called by a member of the public to Te Moana Road at around 1 am on April 17.
Te Moana Road is located near Geraldine, a South Island town.
The fatal crash occurred on a stretch of State Highway 79 that is usually used by campers, said Timaru mayor Nigel Bowen. Traffic has increased in this area over the last year, the report states.
A total of 11 volunteer firefighters responded to the emergency call and went to the site of the accident.
“Emergency call handlers and dispatchers are highly trained professionals and are there to provide immediate support and care to patients,” Mr Ethan Woods, Hato Hone St John Ambulance communications manager, was quoted as saying in the newspaper report.
The Singaporean youths were in a camper van they had hired from Tourism and Travel Ltd, a firm based in Canterbury.
Geraldine Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Graeme Mould described the crash as “severe”.
“None of us had been to anything that major in recent times. It’s one of the more severe ones,” said Mr Mould.
Ms Vicki Walker, the Aoraki Area Commander Inspector, called the accident a “terrible tragedy”.
The deaths of Sherwin Chong Shi Yun, Xinyue Yang, and Jia Jun Vincent Lim have been referred to the coroner.
/TISG
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