Four tourists injured in a bus crash in treacherous winter conditions in Southland yesterday have now been discharged from hospital, the Chinese Consulate General has confirmed to 1News.
Twelve passengers – all Chinese nationals – were on board when it crashed on the Athol Five Rivers Highway at 8.30am on Tuesday.
Of the four people taken to Southland Hospital, one was in a serious condition, two in moderate condition and one in a minor condition, a Hato Hone St John spokesperson said.
The tourists are being supported by the Consulate General in Christchurch.
After being discharged, they have resumed their travel itinerary in New Zealand, the Consulate General told 1News.
“We express our sincere gratitude to the New Zealand Police, hospitals, and other relevant authorities for their prompt assistance.”
Following the incident on Jollies Hill Pass near Athol, the Consulate General issued a safety reminder to any of its citizens driving on the roads here this winter.
“We strongly urge Chinese tourists raise the safety awareness, strictly observe traffic rules, drive slowly and cautiously, and avoid sudden braking or sharp turns. Driving after drinking or while fatigued is strictly prohibited. Passengers should wear seat belts at all times while on board,” it said.
The Consulate General added today: “We also hope that the relevant New Zealand authorities will install more speed limit and black ice warning signs in accident-prone areas to better alert drivers and improve road safety.”
Call for better warning signage
The bus carrying tourists from China overturned on SH6 in Southland, with four people taken to hospital. (Source: 1News)
The New Zealand Transport Agency’s system manager for the lower South Island, Chris Harris, yesterday said: “We do put a lot of effort into getting comms out to motorists, but in this instance, we’ve obviously haven’t quite hit the target market.”
He confirmed to 1News gritting had been carried out at the location of the crash at 5am yesterday, due to black ice.
“It was roughly checked every half an hour in the lead-up to the crash, and it was well gritted at the time so not entirely sure what has happened in this instance.”
One local, Athol Shop owner Geoff Curtain, said even those used to driving on that particular road in winter conditions have been caught out previously.
Curtain said the specific section where the bus rolled doesn’t have any signage, and is calling for better warnings area-wide.
Harris advised the roading agency would investigate whether further signage was necessary.
“The other thing is sometimes our signage can be damaged or inadvertently removed due to weather conditions… so we need to make sure that all of our existing signage is where it should be and that it’s functional.”
Harris said NZTA is already looking at additional electronic signs in another location in the region.
“We are looking to install one for traffic leaving Te Anau heading back towards Queenstown, that’s currently a gap in the network for us.”
He added: “There’s always improvements that can be made and obviously the circumstances around today’s crash is part of a police investigation at the moment, so we don’t know the full circumstances but if the police do have any suggestions or recommendations for us then we would certainly welcome those and look to include those into future practices for maintenance activities.”
