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JOHN BISSET / Stuff
Delayed motorists are on State Highway 1 looking south towards the scene of a serious accident near the Pareora River south of Timaru.
Firefighters released a person from a vehicle after they were trapped when two cars collided in a frontal collision on State Highway 1 in South Canterbury.
Two people were injured and a notorious stretch of highway in the region by traffic accidents was closed after the accident occurred on the Timaru-Pareora Highway (SH1), just north of the Pareora River, around 5.45am on Friday.
Fire crews from St Andrews and Washdyke were called to the scene, which a New Zealand Fire and Emergency spokesperson reportedly was “front on”.
One of the occupants was trapped in the accident, he said, and firefighters used specialized cutting equipment to rescue them.
JOHN BISSET / Stuff
A member of the Downer Road team diverted traffic from Southbound State Highway 1 to Beaconsfield Rd after an accident blocked the highway near Pareora.
Crews also cleared the road after it was littered with debris.
A police spokeswoman said at least two people are believed to have been injured in the accident.
One is in serious condition and the other moderately injured, and both were taken by ambulance to Timaru Hospital.
A spokesperson for the Christchurch Transportation Operations Center said the road remained closed and detours had been made just before 7:30 a.m.
READ MORE:
* South Canterbury residents’ concerns recognized in speed limit review
* NZTA draws criticism from Timaru District Council for Pareora speed limit
* Pareora 100km / h speed limit to stay
Southbound traffic should turn right onto Beaconsfield Rd, turn left onto Brasell Rd, turn left onto Pareora River Rd, then turn right onto SH1. Back north.
The diversion was suitable for heavy vehicles up to 50 tons, they said.
The SH1 section near Pareora has been the site of several accidents in recent years, including a fatal accident in 2018 and another in 2017.
After the 2017 accident, which also injured five people, locals unsuccessfully called for the speed limit to be lowered from 100 km / h to 80 km / h along the stretch of road. The speed limit has not changed.
More to come.
