Seven people were taken to hospital, one with serious injuries, after two cars collided on a straight stretch of road near Omarama yesterday afternoon.
A police spokeswoman said one vehicle was on its side on the highway and the other was off the road after the crash.
St John said two people were taken to Dunedin Hospital and a further five were transported to Timaru Hospital. One person was in a serious condition, one was moderately injured and the rest sustained minor injuries.
Fire crews from Omarama and Otematata, a St John ambulance and an Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter rushed to the scene and SH8 was blocked about 5km west of Omarama, between Shortcut and Broken Hut Rds, until about 5pm.
The cause of the crash on the straight road was not immediately available.
The Easter holiday road toll stands at one following a serious crash near Huntly last night.
Police said emergency services were called to the single-vehicle crash on Hakarimata Rd around 8.35pm.
"One person has died at the scene and the other occupant of the car has minor injuries," police said.
One person received serious injuries and another person moderate injuries in a crash in Tamahere, south of Hamilton, yesterday.
The crash happened just after 3.30pm at the intersection of Marychurch Rd and Tauwhare Rd.
A man is in a critical condition in Waikato Hospital after the car he was driving collided with a bus in Ngahinapouri, south of Hamilton, yesterday.
The crash happened at 1pm on SH39.
The driver of the bus and his wife were shaken but the sole occupant of the car was transported to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition, a police media spokesman said.
There were also two serious car crashes on Saturday night.
One person is fighting for their life after the car they were in hit a power pole at the intersection of Huia St and Kiwi St in Taupo shortly before 12.30am.
Another person was taken to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition after their car went off the road into a paddock in Tirohanga in the Eastern Bay of Plenty just before 10pm on Saturday.
One person was critically injured and another received moderate injuries after a crash south of Papamoa yesterday in which a motorcycle caught fire.
The crash, which involved two motorbikes, happened on the Te Puke highway about 11.20am.
And a motorcyclist is in a critical condition in Wellington Hospital after coming off their bike in Masterton about 11pm on Saturday.
Police said the crash involved a single motorcycle.
- Additional reporting NZME/RNZ
