A woman in her early twenties who died overnight in a crash near Christchurch was in a car that fled police about five minutes earlier, authorities confirmed this afternoon.
The crash occurred at about 11.15pm on Gloucester Street, in the central city area of Christchurch.
Three other occupants, all male, were taken to hospital.
Police had initiated a pursuit but abandoned it after a matter of seconds due to the manner of driving, a spokesperson told 1 NEWS.
“It was not being pursued by police at the time of the crash,” the spokesperson said.
It was the second of two fatal crashes in Christchurch yesterday.
The first incident occurred between a car and a motorcycle at the intersection of Colombo and Sandyford streets, in Sydenham, at around 11.10am.
Police issued a statement today citing both crashes as they made a plea for everyone to use their seat belts.
“Restraints save lives, it’s that simple,” said Superintendent Lane Todd.
“Being properly restrained reduces your chance of death or serious injury in a crash by 60 per cent in the front seat and 44 per cent in the back seat.”
Borh crashes remain under investigation by the Serious Crash Unit.
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