Grim weekend on southern roads with two dead and one injured

Photo / NZH

Two people died and a third person was airlifted to Dunedin Hospital with serious injuries following three separate serious crashes in a grim weekend on Southern roads.

In Dunedin and Invercargill, two people died on the roads on Saturday and the third serious crash happened near Clinton.

In the first incident at the weekend, a person died at the scene of a two-car crash in Blackhead Rd near Waldronville, south of Dunedin, about 2pm on Saturday, a police spokeswoman said.

Police said inquiries into the crash were ongoing.

A second person died after their car went into a ditch near the Waimatua Creek Bridge near Invercargill late on Saturday.

Emergency services were called about 11.30pm to the crash on State Highway 1, near Woodend.

The highway was closed for much of yesterday while the serious crash unit investigated.

In another serious crash on Saturday, a person was critically injured in a two-car crash near Clinton about 5pm.

The victim was airlifted to Dunedin Hospital.

Dunedin Hospital was unable to give an update on the person's condition last night.

Police have yet to release the names of the two people who died.