One dead in Omarama glider crash

One person was killed and an elderly man seriously injured when a glider crashed into a mountain in the central South Island.

Police said the pair were from overseas.

The accident happened on Mount St Cuthbert, near Omarama, 119km northwest of Oamaru.

Police were working with embassy staff to notify next of kin.

The injured man, aged 70, was flown to Dunedin Hospital with serious injuries after the glider crashed into the side of the mountain just before 2pm, Sergeant Tony Woodbridge of Dunedin police said. The other person died at the scene.

An eyewitness to the crash, glider pilot Chris Rudge, was flying over Mt St Cuthbert when he saw the wreckage on the hillside and alerted emergency services.

The cockpit was badly damaged and the tail had broken off, he told Radio New Zealand.

Flying conditions were good, he said.

The glider was owned by Glide Omarama, Mr Woodbridge said.

The Civil Aviation Authority was expected to be at the scene first thing tomorrow morning to help investigate the crash.

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