HK tourists killed in crash

TWO Hong Kong tourists are dead and a third is on a life support system after the car they were in was involved in a crash with a petrol tanker near Tirau, New Zealand.

A fourth tourist in the car received moderate injuries in the smash, and was recovering from a suspected broken pelvis, a broken arm and abdominal injuries in Walkato Hospital last night.

The critically injured man has severe head injuries and was on a life support system.

Police have identified the dead as Lau Yiu-tak, 27, and Ng Yeun-chi, 28. The critically injured man is Sin Bo-ming, 35, and the other woman Pun Kit-ying, 32.

All four were Hongkong Bank employees working in the technical services department at the bank's headquarters in Central.

Police said the crash happened after the car the tourists were in apparently failed to stop at a give way sign and collided with the empty tanker about six kilometres from the southern Waikato town of Tirau on Wednesday night.

A rescue helicopter made two trips to ferry paramedics from Hamilton to the scene. The truck driver was not hurt.