Police confirm Kaimai Ranges truck-over-cliff reports a false alarm

New Zealand Police have advised The Waikato Advocate on Saturday morning that reports of a truck going over a cliff in the Kaimai Ranges were a false alarm.

Hato Hone St John said it responded to what was believed to be a motor vehicle incident, with an initial call out of one rapid response unit. Ambulance staff were not required to provide assessment or treatment and were subsequently stood down.

Earlier reports referred to a truck going over a cliff on the Matamata side of the ranges on Friday evening.

The claim also appeared in a post on the Bay of Plenty & Waikato Accidents & Traffic Information Facebook page, which is followed by 100,000 users. Comments on the post have since been closed.

Readers travelling the Kaimai Ranges reported that traffic was flowing freely and that emergency services had left the area.

The Waikato Advocate’s live traffic feed monitoring showed no traffic delays in either direction on the ranges on Friday evening.

The Waikato Advocate has also contacted Fire and Emergency New Zealand for comment.