Taupo Police can now name two of the three people killed in the fatal crash on Desert Road on Monday morning.
Monalisa Alofaifo, a 20-year-old Samoan woman with New Zealand residency, was seated in the back of the car that collided with a truck at around 7am on Monday 18 July 2016.
Twinkle Ansal, a 21-year-old male Indian national, who was in New Zealand on a student visa, was seated in the front passenger’s seat.
Police extend their sympathies to the friends and family of the victims at this sad and difficult time.
The driver, a 21-year-old Indian man residing in New Zealand on a working visa, is still in Waikato Hospital in a critical condition.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Police are urging drivers to be extra careful on our roads while the wintry weather continues. Always expect changeable weather and road conditions, and please drive to those conditions.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
*** MEDIA NOTE: Police are still working through the formal process of contacting the next of kin of the third passenger killed in the crash. When this has been completed we will be able to release their name. ***