Wrecked Army truck may stay down bluff

SUAI - The wreckage of an Army truck that rolled down a 30m bluff in East Timor on Anzac Day, killing a New Zealand soldier, may not be recovered.

The Army has begun an inquiry into the death of Staff Sergeant William Edward White, of Palmerston North, who died when the Unimog truck left the road and crashed near Lolotoe, about 25km inland from Suai on the southern coast, where most of the New Zealand peacekeeping forces are based.

Lieutenant-Colonel Kevin Burnett, commander of the infantry battalion at Suai, visited the crash site and said yesterday that the roads in the area were badly built, narrow and were not designed for heavy traffic.

"It is a terrible scene. You can stand on the road and see the devastation down the 30m drop into the creekline where the truck is on its side.

"The truck is very badly wrecked," he said.

"It was raining and would have been a terrible situation when they were trying to recover the casualties."

Lt-Col Burnett said recovering the truck might not be possible because of the harsh terrain.

"It is very difficult for us to get to with the right equipment but we are considering our options."

The Unimog had been sent to the area to investigate the loss of a four-wheel-drive quad motorcycle that also went over the side of a bluff.

The three others injured in the truck accident were lucky to escape with their lives as the vehicle rolled several times and ended up on its side in the creek.

Corporal Ngatarsha Puohotaua, aged 29, cracked her sternum, while Lance Corporal Pani James Houia, 27, and Private Jamie Hilton, 25, broke their arms.

All three are in hospital in Dili.

Lt-Col Burnett said if attempts to recover the vehicle put other people at risk the truck would be left where it lay.

He said troops were coping well with the tragedy but they wanted Staff Sergeant White's wife, Marilyn, and his daughters, Ramona, 12, and Melanie, 16, to know how much they felt for them.

"We are very, very sorry about the situation and we really feel very, very deeply for them."

Staff Sergeant White's body is expected to arrive at Whenuapai Air Base in Auckland today on an Air Force Hercules.

- NZPA