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State Highway 35 near Ruatoria, where a vehicle was found in a ditch. Photo / Google
Ambulance officers encountered a serious accident on the outskirts of Ruatoria this morning, alerting other emergency services to a Ute that had crashed into a ditch.
Five people were in the vehicle, four of them trapped, after the accident on State Highway 35, Pacific Coast Highway.
A spokesman for St John told the Herald that a patient was airlifted to Waikato Hospital in critical condition.
Two patients in serious condition were airlifted to Gisborne Hospital and two more in moderate condition were also transferred to Gisborne Hospital, one by road and one by air.
Fire crews from Ruatoria and Tikitiki attended the scene and removed the four passengers, said New Zealand Fire and Emergencies shift manager Michael Wanoa.
State Highway 35 (Waiapu Rd) is closed this morning at the intersection with Whareponga Road.
Motorists are asked to avoid the area or wait for delays.
