Truck driver dies after crash

A truck driver died last night after his rig veered off the road and slammed into a power pole near Gore.

A spokesman from the Police Southern Communications Centre said the 49-year-old Christchurch man was trapped in the cab for more than two hours while rescue crews tried to free him.

High-powered cutting gear had to be brought in from Invercargill.

The driver was given blood transfusions at the scene and later airlifted to Dunedin Hospital, but died last night.

No other vehicle was involved.

- NZPA