One of country’s worst road crashes claims ninth victim

One of the country's worst road crashes claimed its ninth victim early today when an Indian woman died in Waikato Hospital.

Ahalya Thirumuthy, 20, had been in a critical condition since last Wednesday when a mini-bus full of tourists slammed into a timber truck near Morrinsville in Waikato.

Eight of the nine people in the mini-bus died at the scene and Miss Thirumuthy died in hospital at 2.30am today, taking the toll to nine, police said.

Ms Thirumuthy's mother, father and sister died in the crash.

The other dead were the New Zealand driver of the tourist bus, his Thai girlfriend, an American couple, and a French man.

Police today contacted the family of the Frenchman and named him as Robert Besse, 58, of Mygennes province.

Senior Sergeant Ross Ardern from the Morrinsville police said the death of Ms Thirumuthy overnight had devastated the police team.

Mr Ardern said the crash had wiped out Ms Thirumuthy's entire family.

The family's bodies, including Vellore Thirumuthy, 50, his wife, Suchitra Thirumuthy, 42, their youngest daughter, Urmila Thirumuthy, 18, and Ahalya, would probably be released today.

Relatives who had arrived from India were arranging to have the bodies cremated and flown home.

Other victims included the driver of the mini-bus, George Gibson, 66, from Auckland, his Thai girlfriend, Naphat Juiyin, 42, and American couple Gregory James Megas, 57, and his wife Donna Lee Megas, 45.

Mr Ardern said police were devastated by the tragedy.

"We have met the families now and have spent time with them and that compounds the feelings we have.

"When you stand on the side of the road with the family members and they make their tributes in custom with their beliefs and religions, it makes a big impact," he said.

He said the families, particularly the Thirumuthy family, were feeling the impact of the tragedy very heavily.

"Every time I talk to them I feel terrible for them. The family came out here for the holiday of a lifetime and were wiped out."

Mr Ardern said he told the victims' families they had the sympathy of everyone in New Zealand.

"I am sure every decent Kiwi would love to be able to help them in some way," Mr Ardern said.

The ninth death today from the Morrinsville crash made it the second worst in the country's road traffic history.

The worst was in 1963 in Northland when a bus left the road and hit a pole killing 15.

Other major crashes included:

1992 - Six people were killed in each of three separate road crashes.

1993 - Four members of a South African family and an Auckland van driver were killed in a smash south of the Meremere power station in Waikato.

1995 - Eight people died when their house bus plunged 50m off the Mohaka Bridge on the Napier-Taupo road in slippery conditions.

1996 - Four Hamilton teenagers were killed in a smash near Huntly, Waikato.

1998 - Four members of Auckland's Romanian community died on State Highway 1 near Meremere, Waikato.

1999 - Six people died and three were injured in a head-on crash in Napier.

2000 - Six members of a Wanganui family died in south Otago.

2001: Four people were killed in a crash near Cambridge, Waikato.

2005: Four people died on State Highway 2 near Pukekohe, south of Auckland.

- NZPA