Police in Auckland announced that a vehicle veered off Great South Road in Takanini and crashed into a building late Sunday night, killing all three occupants of the vehicle and injuring none inside the building.
According to a police statement, emergency services were called to the scene at about 10:15 p.m. local time on Sunday, after the vehicle left the road and struck a building on Great South Road.
The vehicle was reported to have been traveling at more than 150 km/h when it left the road, a speed that was cited by both the police statement and a report from Radio New Zealand.
Radio New Zealand said the vehicle tore through a restaurant, and newswire.co.nz identified the establishment as a BurgerFuel restaurant. The building was described by police as a commercial premises with no injuries reported among its occupants.
Police said an investigation into the circumstances of the crash is ongoing. No confirmed details have yet emerged about the cause of the vehicle’s loss of control or whether any traffic or road conditions may have contributed to the incident.
The crash took place in Takanini, a suburb south of Auckland’s city center. The local community has expressed shock and grief over the fatalities, with the BurgerFuel chain stating a statement of condolence to the families affected by the tragedy.
So far, authorities have not released any officer statements or eyewitness accounts, and the investigation is expected to focus on vehicle data, road conditions and possible alcohol or mechanical failure.