All three people who died in a road crash near Whakatāne today were working for the contracting firm Higgins - two as employees and one as a contractor. The Serious Crash Unit is in attendance and the road is likely to be closed for a number of hours. Police are asking that anyone who witnessed the crash please contact Whakatāne Police on (07) 308 5255. "In particular, we would like to speak to a paraglider who was above the scene of the crash when it occurred." Resident John Burt, whose property is located near the crash scene, said he was driving out of his driveway about 2pm when he noticed a motorist flagging down traffic.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 26, 2019 02:59 UTC