Witnesses heard screams of terror after a toddler was run over on Turner Dr late this afternoon, leaving a little boy dead and a family in shock.
The 5.30pm incident happened when a person at the Turner Dr house left the property, running the child over on the street.
The Rotorua Daily Post understands the boy, believed to be 16 months old, and his family from Thailand had come to Rotorua from Taupo to visit relatives.
Family members sat next to the body of the boy, who was covered with a white blanket, on the grass verge outside their home grieving as police interviewed potential witnesses.
Up to 30 people were out on Turner Dr trying to find out what happened.