On the evening of November 5, 1985, a high-speed police pursuit on Kings Road near Nausori culminated in a tragic accident that claimed the lives of two men. The chase began when a green Toyota truck, identified by the registration number AE237, was reported driving erratically during rush hour. A taxi driver, concerned for safety, alerted the Police Mobile Force stationed at Nasinu Eight Miles.
As the police patrol car set up to intercept, the truck accelerated in an attempt to evade capture. The chase concluded at the notorious “death stretch,” just beyond the entrance to the Koronivia Research Station. Witnesses reported that the truck lost control, skidded off the road in rainy conditions, breached a barbed wire fence, and plunged approximately 20 meters into a gully, colliding with a breadfruit tree.
The collision resulted in significant damage, and the impact severed electricity lines, leading to a power outage in the Nausori region. Within moments, emergency services were dispatched; both the driver, known only as Tulsi, and an unidentified passenger were found dead at the scene. A third passenger, 29-year-old Vishwa Nadan, was critically injured but survived due to the efforts of bystanders who used various tools to extract him from the wreckage.
Initial responders included fire brigades from Nausori and Suva, who worked to remove the bodies and transport Nadan to the Nausori Health Centre and later to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital. Eyewitnesses described the chaotic scene, detailing efforts to save Nadan as he called for help amid the dwindling smoke and fear of a potential explosion. Fire officers ultimately recovered the deceased from the wreckage.