Five people were killed in a horrific, fiery crash near Taupo last night.
A van and a car collided at 7.40 pm on State Highway 5, about 3km from the town, causing the vehicles to burst into flames.
The ambulance service reported that there were no survivors.
It is understood that the van held three people and the car two.
Fire, police and ambulance staff rushed to the scene of the tragedy and the road was closed for several hours while they cleaned up and the police began their investigations.
Few other details were available last night.
In other road accidents yesterday, a pedestrian was killed when she was run over by several cars while trying to cross the old State Highway 1 at Albany in North Shore City about 6.30 pm.
About two hours earlier, an 8-year-old boy was seriously injured when he was hit while walking over a pedestrian crossing outside Kura Tuatahi school on West Coast Rd, Glen Eden.
A car had stopped to allow the boy to cross, but a schoolbus collided with the back of the vehicle, shunting it into the boy and sending him flying.
Police cordoned off part of the road for several hours while conducting tests and scene examinations.
Initially, they left the bus on the crossing, but they later impounded it.
They also took the driver away for questioning.
The bus is operated by North and Western Bus Lines.
The boy, understood to be a pupil of the kura, was crossing the road, opposite the school, at 4.20 pm.
He suffered serious injuries, but is reported to be in a stable condition in the Starship children's hospital.
Sergeant Jim Currie said it appeared that the driver slammed on his brakes and tried to swerve to avoid the car.
However, he clipped its rear and shunted it into the boy and up on to the footpath.
Sergeant Currie could not comment on whether speed was a factor.
The Herald spoke to neighbours of the boy, known as Mihaka, who said they were concerned about the speed of vehicles along that part of West Coast Rd.
One woman, Vaelua Saina, said she was too scared to walk across the pedestrian crossing.
"You have to stand at the kerb and wait for cars to pass because if you step out on to the crossing they will just crash into you," she said.
Vaelua Saina said she hoped the Waitakere City Council would take steps to slow vehicles.
Another neighbour, Muavae Tainefu, said her daughter had also been hit on the same stretch of road five years ago.
She suffered a broken leg which needed a steel plate inserted.
Fiery crash near Taupo kills five
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