WELLINGTON - A van carrying 10 tourists on their way to Milford Sound crashed into a Southland bridge in New Zealand's South Island and plummeted into a river on Tuesday afternoon, killing the driver, police said.

A spokesman from the Chinese consulate-general in Christchurch told Xinhua that among the 10 tourists, six were from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, one from China's Guangdong Province, and the other three were Chinese holding Canadian passports. The killed driver was a tourist from Hong Kong.

The van crashed on Nokomai Road, Mid Dome, about 80 km south of Queenstown about 1:20 p.m. local time on Tuesday.

Passengers helped each other escape the sinking vehicle, each sustaining mild to moderate injuries.

The three most seriously injured were airlifted to Southland and Dunedin hospitals, while five patients were taken to Southland Hospital by car, a hospital spokeswoman told NZ Newswire.

Six patients have been discharged, with one remaining in hospital in stable condition, she said.

One patient is still being assessed in Dunedin Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Police have completed a scene examination.