Bus carrying 15 passengers rolls in Central Otago, powerlines down

One person has moderate injuries after a bus carrying 15 passengers rolled on a Central Otago road, bringing down powerlines.

A police spokesperson said officers were responding to a report of a single vehicle crash where a bus collided with powerlines on Chatto Creek-Springvale Road, between Alexandra and Omakau, at about 9.40am.

A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said the service was notified at 9.43am and two ambulances were attending the scene, with an additional rapid response unit on the way. “Of the 15 patients, 14 are uninjured.”

The injured person is being transported to Dunstan Hospital in Clyde.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager Lynn Crosson said response vehicles from Alexandra and Omakau were attending the scene, as well as a support medical crew from Omakau.

She said there was currently no indication anyone was trapped in the bus, but she was aware powerlines were down and there was a traffic bottleneck.

Ben Tomsett is a Multimedia Journalist for the New Zealand Herald, based in Dunedin