Elderly man critical after crash

An 80-year-old man and a five-year-old boy were airlifted to hospital following a head-on crash on the western shore of Lake Taupo this afternoon.

Inspector Ian Brooker said the 4.20pm crash on State Highway 41 left the elderly man with critical injuries and the boy and his mother with moderate to serious injuries. All three were airlifted to Rotorua Hospital.

Traffic was diverted from a portion of SH41 while the crash site was cleared but one lane had reopened this evening.

- NZPA