Four of five passengers injured released from hospital

Four of the five passengers injured in an incident involving Queenstown’s Shotover Jet were released from hospital last night (Monday November 22).

A fifth passenger, a Queenstown tourism company employee originally from Ireland, suffered a swollen hip and was kept in overnight for observation. The young woman, in her twenties, remains in the Lakes District Hospital for a further night of observation.

An American tourist taken to hospital was released last night and left town today with his wife to continue their travels.

The remaining passengers since released from hospital include a Queenstown resident in her twenties, another Queenstown resident in her fifties, and a 26-year-old man who is working at a Queenstown hotel, suffered minor to moderate injuries.

Other passengers on the jet boat came from Germany, the UK, USA and New Zealand.

Shotover Jet spokesman David Kennedy said all passengers on the jet boat had received ‘one-on-one’ attention from Shotover Jet staff.

“We take this incident very seriously and are ensuring that each and every passenger receives our full support,” he said.

Mr Kennedy said it was too early to comment on what may have caused the incident, but emphasised that safety was the company’s “utmost priority”.

The driver involved in the incident is currently on leave.

Shotover Jet resumed operations on the river today after being given the go-ahead to do so by Maritime New Zealand.

Shotover Jet is continuing to work closely with Maritime New Zealand on its investigation into the incident and has commenced its own internal review.