One woman and a male student of Mailefihi Siuʻilikutapu college had been killed after a bus they were passengers in crashed down a bank near Gisborne on Saturday 24.
Sione Taumalolo and Talita Moimoi died in the accident.
Hifo Tolu, the secretary of the College’s alumni in Gisborne, told Kaniva News seven members of the group were still in hospital.
Earlier reports said 27 people were taken to Gisborne Hospital, where eight were admitted.
Tolu, who was at the hospital where the victims were hospitalised when we talked to her over the phone, said the bus was expected to arrive in Gisborne as part of the group’s fund raising programme in New Zealand at about 3pm on Saturday 24.
She said a welcoming event was organised for the arrival of the group and after about two hours of waiting a Tongan man from the community was sent to look for the bus.
Tolu said the man met the bus and guided it back to Gisborne when the accident occurred.
She said the man reported the incident to them.
Police said emergency services were responding to a bus crash near Wharerata, on State Highway 2 around 30 km south of Gisborne.
Police said 46 people were on the bus.
They said the bus had plunged about 100 metres down a steep bank and would be difficult to extract.
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