Choppers transport injured from remote crash

Emergency services were stretched yesterday when a vehicle with five people in it crashed down a bank in a remote area near Haast.

A St John spokesman said the incident occurred about 8am, and initially it was not known how many injuries there were, or how serious they were.

Because it was expected an ambulance and fire appliances from Hawea and Wanaka would take a long time to reach the scene (between Pleasant Flat and Clarke Bluff, on State Highway 6), it was decided to send helicopters as well, he said.

''Due to the location of this place, having resources available was extremely difficult. So we sent three rescue helicopters to the scene - one from Greymouth, one from Queenstown and one from Dunedin - because we had limited resources in such a remote area.''

When emergency services arrived, they found one person was trapped, and had serious injuries. That person was flown to Dunedin Hospital with another patient, who had moderate to serious injuries.

A third patient, with minor to moderate injuries, was flown to Lakes District Hospital in Queenstown.

The other two were treated at the scene and the Greymouth helicopter was stood down.

A police spokesman said the vehicle was the only one involved in the incident, and the cause was being investigated.

SH6 was closed for a short time while the vehicle was towed back up the bank, and the road was reopened about 11am.

john.lewis@odt.co.nz

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