NEW ZEALAND — The New Zealand Police confirmed on Tuesday (9 May) that the three victims who were killed in a fatal campervan crash on 17 last month are all Singaporeans.
The victims have been identified as Sherwin Chong Shi Yun and Xinyue Yang, both aged 21, and Jia Jun Vincent Lim, aged 24, according to a report by the New Zealand Herald. They were undergraduates from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
The accident occurred on Te Moana Rd, near the small South Island town of Geraldine, about 140km southwest of Christchurch.
The rental campervan crashed into a barrier at the intersection of Te Moana Rd and State Highway 79 before catching fire around 1 am.
Despite emergency services being called to the scene, all three of the campervan’s occupants were killed in the accident.
The report also mentioned that one of the victims had made an emergency call from the wreckage shortly before it burst into flames.
The Herald reported that the trio rented the campervan from a company based in the local Canterbury region.
Local volunteer firefighters described the tragic incident as “one of the most severe”
Eleven volunteer firefighters responded to the crash.
According to Geraldine Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Graeme Mould, it was “one of the most severe” jobs he had ever attended, and some of the newer firefighters may not have experienced a crash of that magnitude before.
They met the following evening to debrief, and individual counseling was offered to each firefighter through Fire and Emergency NZ.
NUS “deeply saddened by the unfortunate accident”
When queried by Singapore’s media TODAY, NUS confirmed that the three victims were all undergraduates from the university and expressed that they are “deeply saddened by the unfortunate accident.”
“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.”
However, NUS did not comment on the purpose of the students’ visit to New Zealand or if they were on an exchange program.
