Newlyweds among family members killed in BurgerFuel crash

The trio killed in a crash at a BurgerFuel outlet in the South Auckland suburb of Takanini were a newlywed couple and their brother-in-law, according to a community leader.

Daljit Singh, president of the Supreme Sikh Society, said their families overseas were now waiting for their bodies to be repatriated as soon as possible.

The fatal crash happened on Sunday night when a car crashed into a building and tore through a BurgerFuel restaurant on Great South Road, killing all three.

RNZ understands the vehicle is believed to have been travelling at more than 150 km/h.

Singh told RNZ the victims were Punjabi residents from the same family aged 29, 33 and 38.

The couple had married just six months ago, and the wife had recently arrived in New Zealand. All three lived together in South Auckland.

Singh said the victims' families were all based overseas, with some relatives living in India and others in Canada.

He said the couple's families had been informed of their deaths, but the brother-in-law's parents had not yet been told.

"Only his brothers know that he has died," Singh said.

He said the victim's brother was afraid that telling their parents before the body could be returned to India would cause them significant distress.

The brother was waiting for confirmation of when the body could be repatriated before breaking the news to their parents," he said.

"He said the less time they have, the better it is for them," Singh said.

"Otherwise, it will give a big shock to them if we tell them right now, and it takes a long [time] for the bodies to reach there."

Singh said the victims' families hoped their bodies could be returned as soon as possible so they could carry out rituals in their home country.

He said it was expensive for all the family members to travel to New Zealand, while repatriating the bodies could cost between $40,000 and $50,000.

He said the Sikh Society planned to launch a Givealittle fundraising page to help cover the costs and support the victims' families.

Singh said the community was mourning the victims and was also keen to learn the outcome of the police investigation to understand what had happened and what caused the tragedy.

A police spokesperson said formal identification processes were still ongoing, and the deceased would be released to the families once those processes were completed.

The spokesperson said the enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the crash were continuing.