UPDATED AT 6.30PM
Police have confirmed the young girl who was killed in a bus crash in Tongariro National Park at the weekend was 11-year-old Hannah Teresa Francis from Auckland.
The bus crash occurred on Ōhākune Mountain Road on Saturday.
The injuries sustained by Hannah were so severe the formal identification has only just been revealed.
Police say this is a distressing time for the family of the deceased and others who were injured. And they express their sympathies to Hannah’s family and friends at this difficult time.
Any passengers in the crash or witnesses who have not yet spoken to Police are urged to get in touch with their local Police station.
The skifield was closed yesterday but it was re-opened this morning following a karakia from local iwi, which was also attended by skifield staff.