An overseas holiday turned into a tragedy for an Indian family visiting New Zealand as an elderly member of the family died and four others received injuries in a car crash on Friday.
A 63-year-old woman reportedly died at the scene on Friday afternoon in Palmerston North, north of Wellington, when the car the family were travelling by collided with another vehicle at an intersection. Emergency services attended the incident and rushed the injured members of the family, including a five-year-old girl to the hospital.
A couple is said to have received moderate injuries and have since been discharged from the hospital. Their five-year-old daughter, however, remains in hospital with a fractured arm.
The Indian community in New Zealand is helping the survivors with making arrangements for the last rites of the deceased elderly woman.
“The coroner is expected to hand over the body to the family today and the last rites will then be performed in Palmerston North. The community members in Wellington and Palmerston have already arranged for the culture-specific priest and other requirements,” Jeet Sachdev of the Bharatiya Samaj told SBS Punjabi.
The family was visiting the country on Christmas and New Year holiday from Gurgaon, near New Delhi. They were due to return to India on 2nd January, the Indian Weekender reported.
The accident occurred while they were returning to Auckland. The crash unit of NZ police is investigating the accident.
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