All 11 victims of a horror hot air balloon crash in
the Wairarapa have been formally identified, and their remains returned
to their families.
The pilot and 10 passengers, all from the
greater Wellington region, were killed when the balloon apparently hit
power lines, caught fire and crashed in a Carterton field on January 7.
Coroner Peter Ryan identified the final five victims on Monday.
They
were 71-year-old Howard Cox and his 63-year-old wife Diana, 70-year-old
Desmond Dean and his 65-year-old wife Ann, and 58-year-old Denise
Dellabarca, 58.
He earlier identified pilot Lance Hopping, 53, and
passengers Johannes Jordaan, 21, and Alexis Still, 19, Stephen Hopkirk,
50, Valerie Bennett, 70, Belinda Harter, 49.
Mr Ryan thanked the disaster victim identification team for their help.
They had used visual identification, dental records, fingerprints, DNA and ante-mortem information to identify the victims.
"The
horrific nature of this tragedy meant experts faced a very difficult
challenge, but their skill and dedication means we have been able to
return loved ones to their families in a relatively short timeframe," Mr
Ryan said.
He has adjourned his coronial inquiry until the police
and Transport Accident Investigation Commission complete their
investigations.
"At that time we will see what, if any, questions remain unanswered and then determine the best way forward," Mr Ryan said.
NZN