18 Nov 2019

Five die in New Caledonia car crash

5:39 am on 18 November 2019
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Photo: 123rf

Five people in New Caledonia have been killed and five others have been injured in a car accident over the weekend.

The crash happened at night when a small car without any lights on smashed head-on into a minibus.

The public prosecutor said the driver of the car had refused to stop at a police checkpoint in suburban Noumea and travelling at about 180 km/h, the vehicle crossed the centre line and hit the minibus.

The four people in the car were instantly killed as was a man in the minibus.

The man's wife, who was at the steering wheel of the minibus, and two of their children suffered life-threatening injuries.

The prosecutor said the identity of the those in the car was not immediately established.

The licence plate of the car is being described as irregular.

This year 46 people have died on New Caledonia's roads.

Per capita, the road toll is about four times higher than in France.