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Andy Jackson / Stuff
A St John ambulance first arrived at the scene of a serious accident in Ruatoria after paramedics spotted the Ute in a ditch while passing by.
An ambulance passing through Ruatoria ran into a serious single-vehicle accident in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Five people were in the ute when it was found in a ditch, four of them were trapped.
One person was airlifted to Waikato hospital in critical condition. Two were in serious condition and were flown to Gisborne Hospital, a St. John spokesperson confirmed.
Two more moderately injured passengers were taken to Gisborne Hospital, one by helicopter and one by ambulance.
Fire crews removed the four passengers who were trapped in the ute around 3 a.m., New Zealand Fire & Emergencies shift manager Michael Wanoa said. Two crews from Ruatoria and Tikitiki had been called in.
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Police were alerted to the crash around 2:10 a.m. and he is still on the scene. The major accident unit will examine the scene Saturday morning, a police spokesman said.
State Highway 35 (Whareponga Road) and Waiapu Road in Ruatoria are closed.
Police are asking motorists to avoid the area or wait for delays, as they don’t yet know how long the road will be closed.
MORE TO COME
