The three persons who died in a car crash in the Takanini area of Auckland, New Zealand, have been identified as residents of Moga and Bathinda districts of Punjab.The victims have been identified as Sukhdeep Singh, his wife Sukhvir Kaur, and their relative Gurpreet Singh. The Central Sikh Association and Supreme Sikh Society of New Zealand confirmed the identities of all three Punjabi-origin victims.A fundraising campaign has been launched to send their bodies back to India.Sukhdeep Singh, 33, was a resident of Goniana Khurd in Bathinda. He had been living in New Zealand for more than seven years and was running a courier service business.His wife, Sukhvir Kaur, 29, was from Rauke Kalan in Moga district of Punjab. She had arrived in New Zealand only a few months ago after the couple got married earlier this year.The third victim, Gurpreet Singh, 38, was from Bhikari in Bathinda district. He had been living in New Zealand for around three years and was working as an NZ Post courier van driver.The three were related and had been living together in Auckland.The incident occurred around 10.15 pm on Jattvibeday, November 8, when the vehicle reportedly lost control at a roundabout on Great South Road, veered off the road and smashed through a fence before crashing into a restaurant.All three occupants of the car were pronounced dead at the scene, Takanini police said. No one inside the restaurant was injured.Daljit Singh, president of the Central Sikh Association and Supreme Sikh Society of New Zealand, said the three had been attending Diwali celebrations at a gurdwara in Manurewa before the crash.According to Singh, they had left the gurdwara only minutes before the tragedy.He said the victims’ relatives in India had been informed, while community members were working with them through the repatriation process. The families have expressed a wish for all three bodies to be returned to India.Repatriating the three bodies to India is expected to involve significant costs, including embalming, documentation, coffins, transportation and international arrangements.Community representatives had earlier indicated that the combined cost could reach around $50,000.Singh said the Sikh community remained in direct contact with the families and would continue assisting them through the formal processes in New Zealand.Meanwhile, the New Zealand Police Serious Crash Unit is investigating the circumstances leading to the accident. Sources said a preliminary investigation indicated overspeeding as the reason behind the car crash.Police said they had received no driving complaints before the crash, the vehicle had not been reported stolen and officers were not pursuing it when the accident occurred.