US holiday turns tragic for Singaporean family as 3 die, 1 hurt in Arizona highway accident

A 70km section of the highway, State Route 64, was closed for about a day in both directions, according to tweets from the Arizona Department of Transportation. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOOGLE MAPS

SINGAPORE - A holiday in the United States turned tragic for a Singaporean family of four on Friday (Dec 22) when three of them diedand one was injured in a traffic accident.

They had been travelling north towards the Grand Canyon in a silver Hyundai when their car crossed the painted median and collided head-on with green Dodge van, Trooper Kameron Lee, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), told The Straits Times.

The car then crashed into a third vehicle, while the van plunged into a ravine, he added.

"The driver of the Hyundai and two passengers were pronounced deceased at the scene. One additional passenger of the Hyundai was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center," said Mr Lee.

It was reported by Today newspaper that the survivor is Ms Justlyn Yeo Jing Hui, a first-year student at the Nanyang Technological University. Ms Yeo, who is from the university's Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, was reported to be in stable condition.

The accident, which occurred at about 2.21pm local time, closed the highway for seven hours, said Mr Lee.

The driver of the van, who is from Spain, also died at the scene. Earlier news reports suggested that the family had been travelling in the van.

Five people were injured in total, said Mr Lee.

The Straits Times understands that the Singapore Consulate-General in San Francisco is assisting the family's relatives, who have flown to the US.

On Dec 11, a Singaporean died in a traffic accident in New Zealand that occurred on the State Highway 6, Ruatapu Road, on the west coast of the South Island. Shin Min Daily News identified him as Mr Seow Kai Yuan.

Earlier in May also in New Zealand, a Singaporean couple died in a crash on State Highway 1, about 40km south of Christchurch.

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