Update | Hong Kong couple, daughter killed in car crash while on holiday in New Zealand
A couple living in Hong Kong were killed along with their daughter when their car crashed into a logging truck in New Zealand.
A couple living in Hong Kong were killed along with their daughter when their car crashed into a logging truck in New Zealand.
Police named the couple as Warren Lee, 53, and his wife Aesoon Lee, 52, both American citizens living in Hong Kong.
Also killed was the couple’s 20-year-old daughter, Julia Lee, who police said had been living in Massachusetts and was due to start university in Auckland, New Zealand.
Their son, 18, was injured and remains in hospital, said police spokeswoman Kim Perks.
The family was visiting New Zealand to help relocate Julia before she began her studies.
Police said Julia Lee was driving at about 3.45pm on Tuesday near the central North Island town of Tokoroa when the car crossed the centre line for an unknown reason and collided head-on with the truck.
Perks said the son was in the passenger seat and the couple was in the rear of the car.
She said an initial scene examination indicated the parents were not wearing seatbelts.
The truck driver was not injured in the crash, said police, who are continuing to investigate the accident.
Later, Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, where Julia Lee was a computer science major, posted a message informing students and faculty of the tragedy.
"We are very sad to inform you of the death of Julia Lee. Julia and her parents, Aesoon and Warren Lee of Hong Kong, lost their lives in a car accident while travelling as a family yesterday in New Zealand," the university said.
"[Julia] was about to begin a study abroad programme at the University of Auckland through Arcadia University in a few days’ time," it said.
The school described the 20-year-old as a "young woman of tremendous vibrancy and compassion and she will be deeply missed".
Tufts planned to hold a prayer and encouraged students to hold a campus tribute for Lee and her family.
