Ice may have caused fatal crash

An icy road may have caused a single-vehicle crash near Greymouth this morning in which one person was killed and another injured.

The vehicle left the road and went down a bank on Taylorville Rd, about 6km east of Greymouth, about 6am this morning, Sergeant Andrew Lyes of Greymouth police said.

"It appears like there was ice on the road, and it appears that was the cause of the crash," he said.

One person was found dead and another was taken to Greymouth Hospital in a stable condition with suspected spinal injuries.

Both were believed to be Australian nationals but police were yet to confirm their identities or advise next of kin, Mr Lyes said.

"We're having trouble trying to find anyone who knows them," he said.

It was unknown if they had relatives in New Zealand.

The vehicle, which came to rest on its roof "right down a bank", would be left in place until serious crash investigators from Nelson arrived this afternoon, Mr Lyes said.

- NZPA