A Vietnamese tourist died in hospital Friday after an 80-kilogram runaway truck wheel hit an Auckland bus, DPA reported.

The tourist, whose name was not immediately released, was reportedly visiting relatives in New Zealand.

The victim was sitting in the front passenger seat of a bus when two wheels flew off an oncoming truck and one bounced over a median strip before smashing through the bus windscreen, injuring him critically.

The wheel narrowly missed the bus driver, and three other passengers on the bus were taken to hospital with moderate injuries.

The accident happened on Auckland's Southern Motorway on Thursday. Police, who said the truck had recently been serviced, are investigating.