A young couple who died in a single-vehicle crash in Southland on Sunday were seated in back seats when the incident happened, police have confirmed.
The dark blue Holden Commodore in which they were passengers crashed on State Highway 1 just south of Mataura shortly after 5pm.
It killed the man and woman and left two others injured — one seriously, one moderately.
The couple, of Mataura, were well known in southern sporting circles but police yesterday declined to confirm their names until they were confident family had been informed.
As the investigation continued yesterday, police confirmed they were speaking to the driver of a second car, a red Subaru Impreza station wagon.
The car was not directly involved in the crash, but initial indications suggested it could have been in the area in the time leading up to it.
Both the Subaru and the Holden were believed to have travelled south through Mataura and Gore before the crash, a police spokesman said.
The driver of the Commodore was seriously injured and flown to Dunedin Hospital. The front-seat passenger suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Southland Hospital by ambulance, the spokesman said.
The man and woman who died were seated in the back of the Commodore, the spokesman confirmed.
The police wanted to hear from anyone who saw either car in the time leading up to the crash.
In a statement, the police thanked those who stopped and provided assistance to those involved.
- Two people received minor injuries following a two-car crash near Queenstown yesterday.
A police spokeswoman said emergency services were called to the Glenorchy-Queenstown road, near Mt Creighton, at 5.20pm.
The road was down to one lane for a short time while wreckage was cleared.
