Two Hong Kong tourists were killed and three others injured in a three vehicle crash in the Selwyn district on Friday.

The crash was reported to emergency services at about 1.12pm near the intersection of North Rakaia Road and State Highway 1.

Two were pronounced dead at the scene.

The other three suffered injuries ranging from moderate to critical, a police spokeswoman said.

State Highway 1 was closed for about five hours as the Serious Crash Unit investigated, reopening at 6.55pm. A detour involving an extra 100km of travel was put in place.

The Chinese Consulate General in Christchurch has confirmed the deaths in a statement.

It said two Hong Kong tourists had died and two more were injured, with the injured taken to Christchurch Hospital for emergency treatment.

“Our Consulate is deeply saddened by this tragedy,” the statement said. “The Consulate-General activated its emergency response mechanism immediately. Consuls visited the hospital to support and comfort the injured, and asked the hospital to make every effort to provide treatment.

“We will continue to provide consular services and assistance to the injured and to their family members travelling to New Zealand to handle follow-up matters.”

The Consulate also issued a safety reminder for visitors driving in the South Island.

“The South Island has entered the autumn and winter season, and weather conditions can change rapidly. Self-driving visitors are advised to remain highly vigilant and strengthen their safety awareness to avoid traffic accidents,” the statement said.

It said it could not release further details at this stage because of privacy considerations.

A St John spokesperson said a first response unit, an operations manager, two air ambulance helicopters and two ambulances were sent to the scene.