International students killed in crash mourned at tertiary institutes

Thursday, 18 October 2018

Tributes have been paid to two international students from India and Nepal who were killed in a head-on crash in Taranaki on Sunday night.

One was 23-year-old Indian man Yatharth Vats, who had been studying a Level 8 Postgraduate Diploma in Hotel Management at the Pacific International Hotel Management School (PIHMS), Bell Block, since April. 

The other was Shamuel BK, who was part of an influx of Nepalese students to enrol at the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (Witt) in February, aiming to complete a Diploma in Professional Cookery at Witt by July 2019 before returning home to his wife.

The crash occurred between Waitara and New Plymouth about 10pm and is being investigated by the Serious Crash Unit. The two deaths bring the number of fatalities on Taranaki roads this year to 16.

**READ MORE:

* Name of international student who died in head-on crash in Taranaki released**

BK's family has been informed of the tragedy and it is hoped his body will be returned to Nepal by the end of next week. Witt also plans to hold a memorial service.

Tutor Mike Sutherland said BK had a fantastic sense of humour and was very much liked by his peers and tutors.

'All Shamuel wanted was to be a chef and make his family proud. He said Shamuel always spoke his mind but was also a very humble and kind young man.

'He will be deeply missed.'

The young student was busy outside of Witt, working part-time as a cleaner for New Plymouth orthodontist Julian Haszard, who has close ties to Nepal having visited the country a number of times.

Haszard described BK as an absolutely wonderful guy who he and his family had embraced.

'We miss him terribly. We had built up a really good friendship and he had made a big contribution to our lives.'

BK was an extremely thoughtful, warm person who was always jovial and smiling as well as being a leader among his friends, Haszard, who had done a lot of climbing with Nepalese people, said.

'They are strong, loyal and trustworthy people to be around. They are the kind of people who you feel that you can trust.' 

Student Support Services director Zanetta Hinton said many of Witt's Nepalese students were living together in flats in New Plymouth. 

She said after learning of the tragedy, Witt tutors and staff provided support for those students by cooking meals and hospitality students were following suit on Thursday.

'At this sad time tutors and international students have come together to express and share grief and support their friends,' she said. 

All international students were updated with news of the tragedy on Wednesday and offered support.

Shamuel's sister, who is studying in Auckland, has been in New Plymouth this week.

Witt chief executive Barbara George acknowledged the care and compassion of tutors and staff providing support and on behalf of the institute expressed her sincere condolences to the family and friends of both students.

Vats was described by his course coordinator as a 'good student and a quiet young man who got on with his work,' PIHMS marketing manager Dean McCallum has previously said. 

'The feeling on campus has been very sombre. One of his flatmates said he would have wanted students to carry on with their course work though,' McCallum said when Vats' name was released on Tuesday. 

Meanwhile it can be revealed Vats was due to appear in the New Plymouth District Court on Wednesday charged with drink driving.

The 23-year-old, who had been living in Waitara, was stopped by police on New Plymouth's Devon St East about 10pm on September 27.

A breath test showed he had a reading of 600 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, the legal limit for drivers aged over 20 is 250mcg.

The charge has been administratively withdrawn since his death.