A Queenstown high school volleyball team is recovering from a crash last night that left a dozen people injured in Invercargill.
All 12 patients were taken to Southland Hospital as a result of the three-vehicle crash at the intersection of Yarrow and Isabella Streets just after 8pm on Tuesday night.
One person was seriously hurt, one person suffered moderate injuries and 10 others were treated for minor injuries.
Wakatipu High School confirmed that 10 players in one of its boys volleyball teams and a coach were in a van involved in the crash, as part of their trip to Volleyball New Zealand's South Island junior championships.
Principal Oded Nathan said the crash happened near Stadium Southland, where the boys had just finished their games for the evening.
"They're broadly well, obviously a bit shaken and so we've been working with students and families, and students have returned back to Queenstown," he said.
"Whilst all 11 went to hospital that was primarily for precautionary reasons. Nine of them were released very quickly, one had I believe a broken thumb and the other one had some glass that needed to be removed so those two stayed in hospital for a little bit longer."
On the Spot Yarrow Street owner Visha Patel said he was working in the shop when the crash happened at the intersection outside.
"I heard a big noise. The van flipped over to another car and there were around 10 kids inside," he said.
"They were like screaming because the whole van flipped over and they were inside."
The children, who he estimated to be aged about 12 to 13 years-old, were trapped, he said.
"We tried to get them out. I just ran from my shop and tried to open the door. The customers, they came and tried to help me out to pull the van up but we weren't able to because there were many kids inside and all the doors were locked and everything," he said.
Patel said emergency services helped the shaken children out of the van.
"They were very quick over here, that's a good thing. The police were here to clear up everything last night because they were investigating, taking photographs of the scene."
Patel said the children stayed at his store to keep warm before an ambulance took them to hospital.
Fire and Emergency said three crews were sent to the scene and helped everyone out of the vehicles.
Police said officers were continuing to investigate the crash on Wednesday.
