Seoul, Aug 22 (IANS): Three South Koreans with the national ski team were killed and another from the same group was seriously injured in a fatal car crash in New Zealand, diplomatic sources said on Thursday.

The accident occurred at about 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday when the minivan carrying the skiers collided with a four-wheel-drive vehicle coming from the opposite direction on a highway in the Aoraki area on the South Island of New Zealand, Yonhap news agency reported quoting the New Zealand Herald.

Two skiers and a coach were killed in the crash, while another South Korean ski player and the driver of the four-wheel-drive vehicle were injured, according to top sources.

The ski team was reportedly in New Zealand to train and compete at the Winter Games.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said its diplomatic mission in New Zealand was working to find out what exactly happened and providing necessary consular assistance to the family members of the victims.

It was reported that the victims were visiting the country for overseas training and sports events.

The Korea Ski and Snowboard Association said that the three crash victims were not national team members, despite previous reports from New Zealand media outlets stating the skiers were from the national team.