Badly injured Southland child dies at Starship Hospital

A child who was badly injured in the Southland town of Otautau has died at Auckland's Starship Hospital.Emergency services were called to an address about 6.50pm on Sunday, and the child was taken to hospital ina critical condition. They were later flown to Starship Hospital, but died this afternoon.Detective Inspector Stu Harvey said police were now treating the case as a homicide investigation.Two 19-year-olds accused of harming the child appeared in the Invercargill District Court on Monday, charged jointly with grievous bodily harm.The names of the man and woman were suppressed and they were remanded in custody until early next month.Harvey said the pair are expected to face further charges."We know this tragic incident will no doubt be felt widely in the Otautau community, and police will be providing reassurance over the coming days."Police will also continue to support the child's wider family as the matter progresses through the courts."