UPDATED 10PM: A woman who has set up a fundraiser for the people caught up in the Christmas Eve bus crash, said the money will help them return to Tonga.
LISTEN: Local woman Kristina Williams talks about the Givealittle page she has set up for the survivorsÂ
Tongan citizens Sione Taumalolo, 11, and Talita Moimoi, 33 died when the bus went off the road near Gisborne.
Many more were injured.Â
The bus was carrying students and teachers from a Tongan college, who were here to perform a church concert on Christmas Day. There were 53 people onboard.
Local woman Kristina Williams, who was one of the first people on the scene, said she started the page in an effort to help.
She said the survivors only have the clothes they were wearing at the time of the accident, as their belongings are strewn down a steep bank.
She said the money will go towards getting them out of Gisborne.
"As you can imagine, they don't want to get on a bus again, so I'm trying to work with Air New Zealand to get them on a plane out of here, and that's going to cost them a fair bit."
The Givealittle page has so far raised more than $30,000.
You can donate here.Â
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