Two people remain in the intensive care unit at Christchurch hospital, one of them still in a critical condition, three days after a fatal weekend party.
Two 16-year-old girls, Jane Young and Hannah Rossiter, were killed on Saturday night after being struck by a car allegedly driven by 22-year-old factory worker Lipine Sila. The car ploughed through a crowd of partygoers that had spilled out of a St Albans address and onto the street.
It is estimated over 500 people were at the party.
Police have defended their decision not to move in earlier to shut the party down, saying they were not equipped to deal with the masses of drunken youths milling around.
"We think we acted very responsibly, there is no way we would ever send one, two or three or even four officers in on their own to a crowd that had gathered...of those numbers,"says Christchurch Police Commander Sandra Manderson.
Meanwhile, Rossiter's mother has spoken to her daughter's friends to piece together what happened.
"She ran out to see her friends and was holding hands with of one of her best friends Lucy and just in the wrong place, didn't even know what was going on," says Sally Rossiter.
In spite of everything she says she has pity for the young man who allegedly killed her daughter.
"Maybe its a too late for him...but just you know for all families if they could just help with this anger thing, you know, don't be so violent," says Rossiter.
Members of the accused's family are also having difficulty understanding how their cousin became involved.
"When I turn on the news at one o'clock from the radio and I heard his name break out, Lipine Sila...I was really down, I was so shocked," says Sila's cousin Vaosa Sila.
"He is a good kid. I don't see him as a bad kid, and it's a shame," she says.
Police handling the investigation say they already have more than 250 names of witnesses but say a huge job lies ahead.
"It's clearly going to be a logistical nightmare until we have got our heads around how many people were in fact at that party," says Detective Inspector Dave Harvey.
Police have also expressed concern about emails and texts that are circulating encouraging people to a memorial "gathering" at the weekend.
"I would suggest people need to remain calm and deal with the individuals' deaths in the appropriate way by going to funerals or memorials without congregating in areas where potentially disorder could happen," says Harvey.
The Rossiters and Jane Young's family are now preparing for their daughters' funeral, the first of which is expected to take place at the end of this week.
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