Out of control vehicle crashes in gates of royal residence

NUKU‘ALOFA – The driver and passengers of a car that crashed into the fence of the royal residence in Tonga at the weekend fled the scene.

An eye witness who did not want to be identified told Kaniva News the accident happened at about 11am when the car veered off and almost hit one of the two tiger statues that stand by the main entrance of the residence on Taufa’ahau Road.

It then flipped and rolled over landing between one of the statues and the fence.

Tonga police are looking for three men, including the driver.

Chief Superintendent Tevita Fifita said the young men fled the crash scene before police arrived.

Reports from another eyewitnesses said the vehicle had tried to overtake another vehicle and bumped into it, causing the overtaking vehicle to swerve to the opposite side of the road, where another vehicle was oncoming.

It was alleged that the overtaking vehicle had again tried to swerve causing it to veer off the road into the royal fence.

Fifita said there were no deaths or injuries.

“We know the owner of the vehicle, and the driver is from Hala-‘o-vave, because his father rang the police station on Sunday morning reporting that his 20-something-year-old-son had taken off with his vehicle.”

- PNC sources