Two women are dead after two unrelated incidents in Southland this weekend.
On Friday night a 23-year-old woman from Uruguay died instantly in a car accident near Te Anau, while a 48-year-old Eastern Southland woman died as a result of a farm accident in the Waikaka Valley yesterday morning.
The Uruguayan woman, who was visiting New Zealand as part of a working holiday, has been named as Lorena Eiraldi Hernandez, Sergeant Tod Hollebon, of Te Anau, said.
She was the driver and sole occupant of a Daihatsu Charade car which crossed the centre line, hit a bank and rolled on to its roof, on State Highway 95, the Te Anau-Manapouri highway, about 10pm on Friday.
She was ejected from the car and was found on the roadside nearby, police said.
Members of the public came across the accident, and efforts were made to resuscitate her, including by trained medical staff, but it is believed she died instantly.
Police specialist crash investigators were working at the scene on Saturday.
Circumstances surrounding the crash were still being investigated, including whether alcohol was a factor.
The matter was also being referred to the coroner, a police spokesman said.
Traffic was diverted and part of the highway was closed for four hours after the accident while emergency services were present and preliminary scene investigations were carried out.
Te Anau Volunteer Fire Brigade Chief Fire Officer Graeme Humphries said 15 volunteer firefighters from Te Anau and Mossburn attended the accident, helping with traffic control and initially searching nearby scrub to check whether anyone else had been involved in the accident.
In the second incident, emergency services from Gore were called to a farm in the Waikaka Valley shortly before 9am yesterday.
Senior Sergeant Dave Raynes, of Invercargill, said the woman and her husband were transferring grain from a truck to a grain silo when the loader arm snapped and struck the woman on the head.
As result of head injuries, the 48-year-old died at the scene.
Police were investigating the incident, and the matter had been referred to the Department of Labour and the coroner.
Snr Sgt Raynes confirmed the woman was from the area, but her name was not yet available for release.
• Two people have died after police chases in Auckland this weekend.
A woman died in hospital last night after being thrown from a car fleeing police in Manukau yesterday afternoon.
On Saturday night, a 33-year-old man died after a short high-speed police chase in Mangere, south Auckland.
The woman was the 18th person to die this year after a police pursuit, the highest annual count on record.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) would investigate the deaths, police said.
Three other people were admitted to hospital after the crash in Manukau at 12.30pm yesterday.
Two passengers in the car that crashed at Mangere, aged 27 and 29, were in Middlemore Hospital with serious and moderate injuries. Both were in a stable condition.
