PM pledges $60k for Fox Glacier

The site of the plane crash at Fox Glacier. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Prime Minister John Key has pledged $60,000 from the Government for a new ambulance centre at Fox, on the West Coast, where nine people lost their lives in a recent plane crash.

Mr Key visited the site of the September 4 crash at Fox Glacier Airport today.

Killed in the crash were pilot Chaminda Senadhira, 33, from Queenstown; and sky diving masters Rod Miller, 55, from Greymouth, Adam Bennett, 47, from Australia but living in Motueka; Michael Suter, 32, from New Plymouth; and Christopher McDonald, 62, from Mapua.

The four tourists who died were Patrick Byrne, 26, from County Wexford, Ireland; Glen Bourke, 18, from Coburg, Victoria, Australia; Annita Kirsten, 23, from Germany; and Brad Coker, 24, from Farnborough, England.

Mr Key visited Fox today and was told of its drive to build a new ambulance centre; the community had already raised $100,000 but still had $60,000 to go. He pledged the $60,000 immediately.

"It's only fitting, really, that we do something to mark the fact that there was such a terrible tragedy here, that the emergency services played as big a role as they possibly could, notwithstanding that it was impossible to save the people who were on the plane," Radio New Zealand reported.

Mr Key said the site of the crash, strewn with rose petals, was very moving.

"You look at the situation, with those rose petals on a place that claimed nine lives, and no words can bring them back," he said.

"There's nothing we can do to unwind that situation, to roll back the clock.

"But it's important to be here for a very small community, to pay our respects and to ensure that they know the rest of New Zealand is grieving with them."

- NZPA