'Always helpful': Close friend pays tribute to BurgerFuel crash victim

Detailed summary

A longtime friend of one of the trio killed in the BurgerFuel crash in South Auckland has remembered him as a kind and charming man who was always willing to help others.

A longtime friend of one of the trio killed in the BurgerFuel crash in South Auckland has remembered him as a kind and charming man who was always willing to help others.

The trio killed in Sunday night's crash in Takanini have been named as Sukhdeep Singh, 33; his wife, Sukhvir Kaur, 29; and their brother-in-law, Gurpreet Singh, 38.

Mandeep Singh said Sukhdeep Singh had lived in New Zealand for seven years and operated an NZ Post courier business, while his wife had arrived just six months earlier.

Gurpreet Singh, who had lived in New Zealand for three years, worked as an NZ Post courier driver, he said.

His wife and young son had remained in India, according to the Supreme Sikh Society.

The newlywed couple and their brother-in-law died after the car they were travelling in lost control at a roundabout on Great South Road, left the road and crashed through a BurgerFuel restaurant in Takanini.

RNZ understands the vehicle is believed to have been travelling at more than 150 km/h.

Mandeep Singh said he had known Sukhdeep Singh since 2015 and the two had been close friends for more than a decade.

"I lost my job back in 2023," he said. "He asked me, 'If you want to come with me, we can deliver parcels together. I'll help you'."

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