Police have confirmed that a young woman was killed when the bus she was in rolled in the Tongariro National Park yesterday.
In a statement released by police this afternoon, they said a formal identification was ongoing and the next of kin to be notified.
Around 2.30pm yesterday, police were told that the vehicle had rolled half way up Ohakune Mountain Road, which runs to Turoa skifield.
There were 28 passengers inside the bus and several of them sustained serious injuries and were taken to hospital by helicopter.
Speaking to 1 NEWS this morning, CEO of Ruapehu Alpine Lifts Ross Copland said the bus was nine kilometres down Mountain Road when it hit a bank on the left side and came to rest on its right side.
Mr Copland says the driver of the bus had operated buses for a long time and had a lot of experience driving up and down that particular road.
The bus driver is in hospital in a stable condition.
The road had just been sealed and had a safety upgrade, says Mr Copland, and it wasn’t icy at the time of the crash.
Engineers are going up today or tomorrow to see if there are any issues with the road.
Mr Copland says he’s spoken to family of the person who has died and passed on his condolences.
"It's an absolute tragedy. That's our real focus for now is getting support in place not only for staff, but the family of the deceased and the other victims who were involved in the accident."
He says getting in touch with those on the bus has been difficult because many left their phones on the bus.
A spokesperson for St John says patient updates are particularly difficult due to the nature of the incident with patients being "scattered" across the country in five different hospitals.
Waikato DHB spokesperson Lydia Aydon told 1 NEWS this morning that three patients taken to Waikato Hospital - one 20-year-old man, and two women aged 29 and 31.
They are all in a stable condition.
Turoa skifield is closed today for a debriefing process and should open tomorrow.
The bus has been removed and taken to Whanganui to be examined.
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