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A 21-year-old man is dead and another person is in hospital with serious head injuries after a single car crash in Wairoa early this morning.
Police were called out to the accident on Kopu Road about 2am.
Constable Tristan Hope of Wairoa police said it appeared two people were thrown from the vehicle when it hit a power pole and went on to a residential section's front lawn.
One man died at the scene and another man, also in his 20s, was airlifted to Hawke's Bay Hospital with serious head injuries.
A third person involved in the accident received moderate injuries, but Mr Hope was unsure if they had been taken to hospital.
At this stage, Mr Hope said he believed speed was probably a factor in the crash and did not know if alcohol was involved.
A serious crash unit would be conducting a scene examination this morning.
- NZPA