Student killed in crash named

The Saudi national killed when the van he was a passenger in rolled near Waihi on Monday has been named by police.

He was Saleh Adels Faidah, 21, an English language student in New Zealand.

He was one of eight people in the van, and police now know he was not wearing a seatbelt.

"Once again we see an avoidable tragedy on Waikato roads in which a person unrestrained is thrown from a vehicle while the other occupants who were restrained survived," said Waikato road policing manager Leo Tooman.

Police, the coroner and the Saudi Consulate were working to return Mr Faidah's body to his family in Saudi Arabia.

While the crash investigation was not yet complete, Mr Tooman said it was likely the French driver of the van would face charges.

Of the seven other people in the van - four French nationals, two Germans, and a Spaniard - only the Spanish man remained in hospital.

He is in a serious condition in Tauranga Hospital's intensive care unit. The six other students have returned to Auckland.

Mr Tooman said police were working with the various embassies and translators to establish what caused the crash.

- NZPA