Farmer praised for putting out crash fire

Police are praising the prompt actions of a farmer who put out a small fire in the engine compartment of a car involved in a fatal crash near Benneydale in Waikato yesterday, averting the potential of further tragedy.

A 47-year-old woman tourist died in the crash on State Highway 30 at Kopaki, 22km southeast of Te Kuiti, shortly before 2pm.

Waikato road policing manager Inspector Leo Tooman said the crash was being investigated by the district's serious crash unit but initial indications were that the car driven by the tourist was on the wrong side of the road and had collided with an oncoming Toyota Hilux utility.

A 45-year-old woman, the sister of the dead woman, suffered serious injuries and was trapped in the wreckage for some time before being freed by firefighters.

The driver of the utility suffered moderate injuries.

Police are working with Interpol to establish the nationality of the tourists and advise next of kin and complete the formal identification process, Mr Tooman said.

- NZPA