Police name horror crash victims

Three teenagers died in a head-on crash between a small car and a bus, north of Christchurch on Saturday. Photo / One News

Police have named the three young people killed in a horror collision between their car and a bus on Saturday.

They were Jethro Bronson Cooper, 16, of Leithfield, North Canterbury, Kodee Marie Rapana, 15, of Amberley and the driver Dean Jonathan Mcartney, 21, formerly of Nelson.

The three were killed when the vehicle crossed the centre line and collided with an oncoming bus on Main North Rd at Woodend, north of Christchurch, just before midday.

Two other passengers in the car, aged 21 and 37, were airlifted to Christchurch Public Hospital with serious injuries.

No one on the bus was injured.

Canterbury road policing manager Inspector Al Stewart said it appeared the 16-year-olds were not wearing seatbelts.

There was evidence of alcohol at the scene, but police would not know if those travelling in the car had been drinking until pathology results came back, he said.

The deaths brought the weekend road toll to four after a middle-aged man died in a crash in the Bay of Plenty earlier in the day.

He has been identified as David Raheke, 55, of Rotorua, who was killed after apparently failing to take a bend and hitting trees near Kawerau, 58km north east of Rotorua on Saturday morning.

Mr Raheke was the sole occupant of the vehicle. Police are still investigating the cause of the crash but earlier said alcohol and not wearing a seatbelt appeared to have contributed.

Meanwhile, police said it was lucky the weekend road toll was not higher after a car carrying a woman and three children ran off Auckland's Northern Motorway and plunged 20m down a bank yesterday.

Sergeant Stu Kearns of the serious crash unit said it appeared the car lost control and "launched off the side of the motorway".

At least one person had to be cut from the car, and all four were taken to hospital with injuries ranging from minor to serious.

- NZPA