Crash victims were visiting from China

The two people killed in a car crash near Milford last night were a visiting Chinese couple, police say.

The couple, in their 50s, were back seat passengers in a Subaru Forester which plunged 5m down a cliff about 1km from Milford.

Senior Sergeant Cynthia Fairley said all four people in the car were Chinese.

The driver, a 33-year-old woman, lived in New Zealand and was not injured in the crash.

A 29-year-old man in the front seat, who was visiting New Zealand, received a lung injury and was being treated in Invercargill hospital.

The crash happened on a downward hairpin bend, Ms Fairley said.

"At this stage, police can say that the weather and alcohol are not factors in the cause of the crash,'' she said.

However, it was too soon to speculate on what had caused it.

The Chinese embassy has been advised of the crash, and post-mortem examinations were being carried out on the couple today.

Their names would not be released until next of kin had been advised.