Tragedy as landfill truck overturns

Man killed after truck falls 100 metres

A Wellington City Council worker has been killed after the truck he was driving rolled down a dirt track at one of the city's landfills.

A council spokesperson at the scene said the dumptruck had rolled down a dirt track above the Owhiro Bay landfill, and overturned - killing the male driver.

"It appears as the truck has come down the hill, something has gone wrong - it's a dumptruck and so the cab has overturned, crushing the driver," he said.

The body had not yet been recovered: "It's a fatality, there's things that have to happen with Police [first]," he said.

The truck was carrying a load of dirt when it rolled and fell off a steep cliff at the landfill around 3pm.

The cause of the accident has not yet been established and would be investigated by Occupational Safety and Health.

Emergency services are currently at the scene but police will not be releasing any further information until family have been notified.

- © Fairfax NZ News