Serious crash: Students called in to translate

A group of Rotorua students were called in to act as translators after a serious car crash near Reporoa.

Nine people were injured after a car allegedly made a main highway U-turn in front of a rental van near Reporoa.

Police say the crash was caused by a combination of alcohol and speed and police were last night still looking for the driver responsible.

Emergency services from Taupo, Reporoa and Rotorua were called to State Highway 5 at Reporoa, south of the intersection with Homestead Rd, just after 5pm yesterday where there had been a collision between a car and a van.

Rotorua Hospital spokeswoman Sue Wilkie said most of the people injured in the crash were from China and they were treated for a range of injuries.

She said the hospital called on the services of Mandarin speaking residents in the community to act as interpreters and was "very grateful to those volunteers" who turned up to help translate for the injured tourists.

The volunteers were students from a Professional Speaking for Migrants class.