University 'deeply saddened' at students' deaths on Canterbury road

Three people killed in a campervan crash in the South Island were undergraduate students from the same university in Singapore.

Emergency services were called to the crash on Te Moana Rd, near the small South Canterbury town of Geraldine, around 1am on April 17.

The rental campervan hit a barrier at the intersection of Te Moana Rd at State Highway 79 before catching fire.

Police yesterday named the victims as Sherwin Chong Shi Yun and Xinyue Yang, both aged 21 and Jia Jun Vincent Lim, aged 24.

Police said their deaths have been referred to the coroner.

The three victims attended the National University of Singapore (NUS).

A NUS spokesperson told The New Zealand Herald the university was “deeply saddened by the unfortunate road accident in New Zealand involving our undergraduates”.

“This is a difficult time for their families, and we have been in touch with them to provide all possible assistance and support. Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones during this period of grief.”

The campervan was owned by Tourism and Travel Ltd, based in Canterbury, and had been hired by the group.

Geraldine Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Graeme Mould told the Herald last week it was “one of the most severe” jobs he’d ever attended.

“The newer ones, I’m not sure they’d been to a crash of that magnitude before - but it was a traumatic event. None of us had been to anything that major in recent times,” he said.

“It’s one of the more severe ones. You don’t know a lot until you arrive at the scene.”

Mould said the job itself was well-executed by volunteer fire staff.

“It was just a sad event.”

Traffic on the stretch of highway had increased over the past six to 12 months, Mould understands - the spike bringing with it a higher risk of accidents.

“Our condolences go out to everybody involved, all the families connected.”

Timaru district councillor and long-term Geraldine resident Gavin Oliver said talk of the crash has continued to circulate around the township.

He said the incident was still on people’s minds, and locals are still shocked by the gravity and severity of the incident.

Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker earlier said the crash was a “terrible tragedy”.

Timaru Mayor Nigel Bowen said the stretch of State Highway 79 where the crash occurred was commonly used by campers.