One individual has lost their life, and 13 others were taken to hospitals following a serious accident involving a bus filled with international tourists and two other vehicles on a rural highway in New Zealand on Wednesday.
The ambulance service reported that two people are in critical condition while four others sustained serious injuries, with the remaining individuals being moderately hurt after the incident occurred in the Waikato region of the North Island.
The specific cause of the three-vehicle collision remains unclear, particularly since it took place on a straight section of highway under favorable weather conditions.
According to New Zealand police, the small bus was transporting 11 international tourists along with their driver when the crash happened. The other two vehicles involved had three people each.
Authorities have not disclosed the nationalities of the tourists or identified which vehicle contained the deceased individual. The injured passengers are being treated at various hospitals across the North Island, as reported by St John Ambulance.
The road remains closed at the site of the accident, situated approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Hamilton city.
In the past, there have been fatal incidents involving tourist buses on New Zealand’s state highways, characterized by their often narrow and winding routes. Notably, in 2019, a tragic accident occurred when a bus overturned during rainy weather north of Rotorua, claiming the lives of five tourists from China.
Additionally, in 2008, a collision between a bus and a logging truck resulted in the deaths of eight tourists along with their driver.