A car crash in Southland yesterday morning left five people injured, two seriously.
A police spokeswoman said emergency services were called to the two-car crash at the intersection of Isla Bank-Flints Bush Rd and Lindsay-Calcium Rd, about 35km northwest of Invercargill, shortly after 9am.
A St John spokesman said two people received serious injuries in the crash.
One was transported by rescue helicopter to Dunedin Hospital and the other was transported to Southland Hospital in a second helicopter, the spokesman said.
A further three people suffered moderate injuries and were taken by road ambulance to Southland Hospital.
Firefighters earlier worked to free a person trapped in one of the cars.
On Tuesday, one man died after a ute crashed into the Whanganui River.
That meant by Tuesday night, 373 people had died on New Zealand roads - the same toll as at December 25 last year and seven fewer people than last year's total of 380 road deaths.
At the present rate, it will be the fifth consecutive year that the road toll has risen, and the highest overall toll since 2009.
-Additional reporting NZME
