A high-speed police chase on Kings Road near Nausori on the evening of November 5, 1985, resulted in the deaths of two men when the truck they were in veered off the road and crashed. The aftermath of the mangled vehicle was prominently featured on the front page of The Fiji Times the following day.
Reports indicated that a third person in the seven-ton truck was critically injured and rushed to Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva shortly after the accident. The truck driver, identified only as Tulsi, died instantly along with an unidentified passenger sitting next to him. The third occupant, Vishwa Nadan, 29, was rescued by bystanders who cut through the wreckage with axes and knives to reach him. He was then transported to Nausori Health Centre before being taken to CWM Hospital in a private vehicle.
Fire brigades from Nausori and Suva responded quickly to the scene, working to extract the bodies of the driver and the passenger, who was in his mid-30s. The accident occurred around 6 PM on the Koronivia flats, a stretch known as the “death stretch” due to a high number of accidents in that area.
During rush hour traffic in Kinoya, the truck, reportedly owned by Sai Transport, narrowly avoided colliding with a taxi as it traveled from Suva to Nausori. The taxi driver alerted the Police Mobile Force based at Nasinu Eight Miles, noting the truck’s erratic and speeding behavior. A police patrol car then positioned itself at Eight Miles, with the taxi following the truck closely.
As the truck sped past, the police pursued with sirens blaring and lights flashing, prompting the truck to accelerate further. The chase concluded just past the entrance to the Koronivia Research Station, where witnesses reported that the truck careened off the road. Rain made the road slippery, causing the vehicle to crash through a barbed wire fence, launch approximately 20 meters over a gully, and collide with a breadfruit tree.
The violent impact of the crash cut power lines, leading to a blackout in the Nausori area. The truck’s cab crumpled, with its front partially buried in a ditch embankment. Eyewitness Apisalome Caviyawa, whose home was nearby, described being startled as he saw the truck soar through the air. Neighbors rushed to the scene and found the engine still running, with thick black smoke rising from the wreckage, along with Mr. Nadan’s faint cries for help.
Concerned about a potential explosion or fire, witnesses attempted to turn off the engine but could not locate the key. They ultimately resorted to cutting the exposed wires for several minutes before the engine stopped. Another witness, Abdul Muktar Khan, also reported hearing Nadan’s cries. Mr. Caviyawa, Mr. Khan, and others, including police officers, used various tools to extract Nadan, who was conscious but bloodied. The two fatalities were later retrieved by fire personnel.