Four people from the same family died as a result of the crash on Friday afternoon, near Kaikōura. Image / Google
Four people from the same family died as a result of the crash on Friday afternoon, near Kaikōura. Image / Google
Relatives of a couple and their two teenage daughters who died in a horror crash near Kaikōura have arrived in New Zealand to deal with the aftermath.
Funeral preparations are now under way for the Malaysian family who arrived early last week and who died four days later, on Friday,in a crash with a truck on State Highway 1 about 3.15pm.
The victims have been identified as Adanan bin Jeman, 49, his wife Dr Rumihati binti Abd Hamid, also 49, Nur Irfan binti Adanan, 15, and Nur Aaleeyah Maisarah binti Adanan, 13.
A third daughter - Nur Anifah Bahiyah binti Adanan, 11 - remains in Wellington Hospital. She is said to be in a stable condition today.
None of the three children were wearing seatbelts at the time of the fatal crash, Stuff reports.
A spokesman for New Zealand-based charity Handshake People said they were in contact with relatives - seven of whom had since arrived from Malaysia over the weekend.
The group had split up - two of them now in Wellington to support their 11-year-old niece in hospital and the others in Christchurch to be with the bodies of their loved ones.
The spokesman said extended family members had decided that the Muslim family would all be buried in Christchurch, if possible.
Handshake People had since launched a fundraising effort among Malaysians in New Zealand - calling for anyone keen to help with the costs of the funerals to donate to a dedicated bank account.
