Monday, June 25, 2007 ; 7:06 PM
Shocking news
Read it to believe it
may be some cckss student know about it
S'porean student
crashes into
icy-cold NZ lake
Accident happen near popular resort
Rescuers pull all 4 female student
Others recovering in hospital
An outing in a retend car turned into tragedy for a Singaporean student and her three female friends in New Zealand.
On Thursday afternoon,The mazda,believed to be driven by Singaporean Nur Haryani Mohd Hatta,24 plunged into Lake Wanaka in Otago,killing Ms Veronica Lee May Tan 20, a Malaysian.Ms Nur Haryani and the two others a 23-year-old Malaysian and a 22-year-old Chinese-were injured and sent to hospital
They did not suffer any life-treatening injuries.Allfour are international student at Otago University.Two of them are expected to be realeased from hospital today, said a unversity spokesman,Thogh it is unclear which two.Lake Wanaka is apopular tourist ski resort.
A Dunedin Hospital spokesman told The New Paper this morning taht ms Nur Haryani is currently in the oethopaedic ward and is "progessing favourably".
UPSIDE DOWN
Wanaka Volunteer Fire Brigade station officer Dave Little told The Press taht the car plunged down a 120m bank at about 12.30 and was summerged upside down in a metre of water."the girls were out on the beach when we got there."he said.
Mr Little said a group of passing motorist triedunsuccessfully to resuscicate one of the girls before emergency services arrieved, and helped get the injured women out of the vehicle.Recuers had to scrumble down using ropes and harnesses, where they met the jetboat that transported the girl's body out."It was hard to know whats going on,there was that much cnow around," he said.MrMark davy, 21, who was aomong a group of British tourist who rescued the injured girls, told the Otago Daily Times: "We were the second at the scence and saw the caes, so i went to try to help the girls out of the car."They were very cold,weak and in alots of pain."
He had scrambled down through dence bush to recue them.He and his companion too the women to their van while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.He also wrapped them in extra clothes and sleeping bags.The women wuffered abdominal,back and neck injuried.The ambulance arrived 30 minutes after the accident.The three survivors were sent to Dunstan Hospital.Acting Sergeant Emma Fleming of the Wanaka Police told The New Paper this morning that ms Nur Haryani was believed to have been driving.She asid taht the police have yet to interview the survivors.
STILL IN SHOCK
"We can't speak (to them) untill they are better and recovered," she said.Asource told The New Paper That Ms Nur Haryani,who turns25 this December, had graduated from Nanyang Technological University.The source said taht she was in shock after the accident.Lake Hawea fire cheif Doug Brenssell told local newspaper that teh car was trvelling uphill about 10km south of Makarora on state Highway 6 heading to Hawea."They basically just lost it, went across the road, into the scrub into the lake," he said."the survivors were lucky other people were driving by,otherwise you wouldn't see them untill the snow melted," Mr Brenssell said.The car was reportedly a rented 1996 Mazda Familia.A spokeman from the Ministry of Foreign Affair told The New Paper last night that the ministry and teh high Commission in wellington are aware of the case.He added:"We are providing the family with the necessary consular assistance."
A university spokesman told The New Paper this morning that the exams had just ended last wednesday,and it was likely taht the four women wrere out on a holiday.The car crash happend about three to four hours drive away from the university.
SAFE
She said:"The women are still in hospital at this point, but their injuries are not life-treatening and we are expecting two of them to be released today."
The spokesman said taht two of the three women have contacted their families,and that Ms Nur Haryani's family is flying over to be with her.She added:"staff from the University's International Office have been with the women at hospital and offering support, as well as sipporting the amny upset familys of the deceased student and her family."
TRANSFERRED
Pro vice-chancellor for international student at Otago University Professor Sarah Todd told The Southland Times that a beak in the wheather had allowed the three women to be transffered fromDunstan Hospital tp Dunedin Hospital on Friday."All three women are very traumatised and support staff from the university's international office are at the hospital with the student."
The university had been in touchwith the parents of Miss tan, through her aunt, Professor Todd said."We have visited the aunt, with whom Veronica was living,and staff will continue to support her and the family, doing what we can."
Thats all i got from the news paper...
