The investigation into a crash involving a stolen car that killed a 13-year-old girl and injured four others aged 10-13 is ongoing – but police are refusing to give any further information about the incident. 

The crash happened just before midnight on December 27 on a rural road between Matamata and Morrinsville. 

Five youngsters were injured – three critically – and rushed to hospital. 

Police later confirmed they were travelling in a vehicle that had been stolen earlier in Hamilton. 

It is understood the Nissan ran off the road into a ditch and at least three of the young occupants were thrown from the vehicle. 

A week after the crash 13-year-old Ashatarn Takiwa died of her injuries. 

Police today refused to give any further information on the crash, including the status of the other victims or whether anyone would be charged. 

Last month Waikato District Commander Superintendent Bruce Bird told Stuff that speed appeared to be a factor in the crash. 

He also confirmed the stolen Nissan had been used in a smash-and-grab break-in at a Vape shop in Matamata before the crash. 

But Bird said the car did not come to police attention until it left the road. 

Witnesses said the crash scene was horrific. 

Ashatarn was one of 17 people who died on New Zealand roads over the holiday period. 

Her family are reeling over her death and some have posted tributes online. 

"I still can't think, speak or comprehend with all this," her mother wrote on Facebook. 

"It actually took me a lot of strength to put pics up and write this - don't know what to say." 

- by Anna Leask, NZ Herald