Singaporean man dies in New Zealand car crash

The crash occurred at around noon on Dec 11, 2017, along the State Highway 6 on the west coast of the South Island. PHOTO: GOOGLE MAPS

A Singaporean man died in an accident involving two vehicles in New Zealand on Monday (Dec 11).

According to a statement by the New Zealand police, the crash occurred on the State Highway 6, Ruatapu Road, shortly after noon. It is on the west coast of the South Island.

"The driver of one of the vehicles has died and two other people have moderate injuries," said the police.

In a report on Tuesday, New Zealand news site Stuff.co.nz quoted an official saying the man who died was from Singapore.

He was reportedly driving one of the two vehicles involved.

The cause of the accident has not been ascertained, said Stuff.co.nz.

"It appears, on the face of it, that it was a head-on (crash), which would indicate one of the vehicles had crossed the centre line," Sergeant Andrew Lyes told Stuff.co.nz. "We're keeping an open mind while the crash investigation continues."

The Straits Times understands that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to the man's next of kin.

Shin Min Daily News identified the man in a report on Tuesday as Mr Seow Kai Yuan.

Mr Seow's girlfriend confirmed his death in a Facebook post that has since been made unavailable.

According to his Facebook profile, he studied Chemistry and Biochemistry at Nanyang Technological University, graduating in 2013, and was previously a chemist at the Singapore branch of pharmaceutical company MSD.

In May this year, a Singaporean couple died in a crash on State Highway 1, about 40km south of Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.