Tragedy ends dream of better life

The car driven by Anuj Antony collided head-on with a bus carrying school students. Picture / Alan Gibson

Two families from India who moved to New Zealand 18 months ago looking for a better life are now mourning the loss of three children.

The victims of a triple fatality north of Taupo on Monday were Anuj Antony, 16, his brother and frontseat passenger Anjo Antony, 21, and backseat passenger Richard Kurian, 13.

The three Hamilton students were killed when the car driven by Anuj Antony collided head-on with a bus about 25km from Taupo at 1pm.

They had been visiting friends and family in Hastings and were returning to Hamilton when the crash happened.

The crash will be referred to the Taupo coroner, but police said it was caused by an "incredibly bad decision" by the car's driver to overtake a line of vehicles.

Senior Sergeant Tony Jeurissen, of Taupo, said the car had been trying to overtake the vehicles in misty conditions, with light rain and low cloud.

"The weather conditions were all wrong."

He said drivers needed to be more careful on the stretch of State Highway 1 from Putaruru to Turangi.

"Statistically it is one of the worst pieces of state highway in the country," said Mr Jeurissen.

"I'm looking at a map and there is literally a line of pins [representing fatalities] from Turangi to Putaruru.

"Drivers need to be aware of that and take precautions."

Brothers Anuj and Anjo Antony arrived in New Zealand with their parents 18 months ago, soon after the Kurian family. The families have been friends for 30 years.

"We came here with the hope that we would get a good future for our family and for our children," said family friend Roy Vallara.

"For this to happen, it is almost intolerable."

The boys' families are from Kerala in South India and yesterday members from the same community gathered at the Antony home to support them.

Anuj and Anjo were the only sons of Antony Joseph and his wife, Annice Antony.

Richard was the eldest son of Gracy Kurian and her husband, Kurian Joseph.

Yesterday Richard Kurian's elder brother Rony, 19, said they had all travelled to Hastings together in two cars.

On the return trip, his brother had been in the car with himself and Jose, a cousin of the Antony brothers, until Taupo.

"We agreed to meet at the BP in Taupo," said Rony. "He [Richard] got into the car with Anuj and Anjo."

Rony said he and Jose continued home to Hamilton, the three boys following them.

"We got to Cambridge and there was no sign of them so we turned around," said Jose. "We thought they might have a blown tyre."

Then they received a call on their cellphone telling them of the accident.

The bus with which the boys' car collided had been chartered by the Army to take secondary school students to Waiouru.

It was carrying 43 people, among them four soldiers and 37 students from Northland and Auckland on their way to a school holiday camp at the Waiouru Army base.

Six people on the bus received minor injuries and were taken to Taupo Hospital.

One of those on board, Dean Comer, an 18-year-old at Tikipunga High School, in Northland, was at the front of the bus.

Moments after the bus rounded a corner, he said, he saw a vehicle coming straight towards him.

"I just didn't believe what I was seeing at first," he said. "The driver cursed but the accident was pretty unavoidable."

Anjo Antony was a student at Waikato University and his brother was at Hamilton Boys High School. Richard Kurian attended St Pius X School.

In the Antony home yesterday incense and two candles burned at a small altar in the family's living room.

The candles will continue burning until after the boy's funerals at 2pm tomorrow at the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Hamilton.