Three people died in a fatal crash in South Auckland on Sunday night when a vehicle lost control and tore through a BurgerFuel restaurant in Takanini.
Emergency services responded to the incident just after 10:15pm on Sunday night on Great South Road, where all three occupants were pronounced dead at the scene. No one inside the building was injured in the collision.
The victims were identified as Sukhdeep Singh, 33, his wife Sukhvir Kaur, 29, and their brother-in-law Gurpreet Singh, 38, according to the NZ Herald. The newlywed couple and their family member lived in South Auckland and had been returning from Diwali celebrations.
Friends Remember the Victims
“not too extroverted, but always helpful,” Mandeep Singh, who knew Sukhdeep Singh since 2015, said of him as a kind and steady presence who was always willing to assist others. He recalled how Sukhdeep offered employment support when he lost his job in 2023.
“I lost my job back in 2023,” Mandeep Singh said. “He asked me, ‘If you want to come with me, we can deliver parcels together. I’ll help you’.”
Sukhdeep Singh operated an NZ Post courier business and had lived in New Zealand for seven years. His wife had arrived in the country six months prior, and the couple married in February.
Gurpreet Singh had lived in New Zealand for three years and also worked as an NZ Post courier driver. His wife and young son remained in India.
Vehicle Speeds Exceeded Limits Before Striking a Restaurant
Police and emergency personnel examined the wreckage after the vehicle left the road at a roundabout. Witnesses estimated the car was traveling at speeds well over the 50km/h limit, with Newstalk ZB reporting that estimates placed the vehicle’s speed above 100km/h. RNZ understands the vehicle may have been traveling at more than 150km/h.
Local councillor Daniel Newman said that the vehicle appeared to have left the road and become airborne before striking the restaurant building.
Mandeep Singh established a Givealittle fundraising page to help cover the costs of repatriating the victims’ bodies to India and supporting their families. The fund raised more than $20,000 within days. Daljit Singh, spokesperson for the Supreme Sikh Society, said that families hoped to have the bodies released by the coroner to return them to India for final rites.
Police are investigating the exact cause of the crash.
