KEY POINTS:
A six-year-old boy died after being hit by a school bus on a rural road yesterday afternoon.
Police said the boy rode his bicycle from the driveway of his parents' property in and into the path of the school bus, which was travelling along Weir Rd, 4km west of Waianiwa in Southland, at 3.50pm.
The boy, whose name had not been released last night, was taken to Southland Hospital but died of his injuries a short time later.
Senior Sergeant Bruce Terry, of Invercargill, said the bus had a few pupils on board. Victim Support was working with the family, schools and bus driver.
"This is a tragic incident for a small community," Mr Terry told the Southland Times.
Southland kaumatua blessed the site last night.
"This is shocking, shocking, so young, the poor family," said kaumatua Moses Timoko after sprinkling water on the road where the boy was hit.
St John Ambulance southern regional operations manager Doug Third said the boy suffered serious head injuries and multiple other injuries.
"The (St John) crew were rattled.
They were stood down for the last part of the shift," Mr Third said.
The boy's death was the fifth on Southland roads in three days.
- NZPA
