One person is dead, and “several” others were injured after becoming stuck while trying to cross the Rakaia River on quadbikes.
The bikes became stuck while attempting to cross the south side of the Rakaia River mouth, police said.
Police confirmed this afternoon that of the six people recovered, “one person was located deceased and one person was transported to [Christchurch] hospital in a critical condition by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.”
The bikes became stuck while attempting to cross the south side of the Rakaia River mouth, police said. (Source: 1News)
St John was notified of the incident at 1.02pm and responded with two ambulances, two rapid response vehicles and a helicopter.
FENZ also responded and a member of the public assisted with their private vessel police said.
Quad bikers ‘pummeled’ by white water – witness
A witness fishing at the river mouth told 1News the group had gotten stuck between 150 and 200 metres away from where they left.
The witness said she told her partner: “Oh my gosh, the waves are ridiculous.
“They’re just lethal, really, crashing into the bank, and it was going well over the bank.”
She said that while conditions like the ones she saw today were not infrequent, “something in me said, ‘Gosh, that seems a bit more than normal'”.
She saw the group attempting to get themselves unstuck, but “the waves just kept coming”.
“It just kept moving the side by side furthur and furthur in, not out towards the ocean but into the banks.
“These guys just kept getting pummeled. It was white water hitting them, and then it was all on.
“We had fire brigades coming on both sides of the river mouth. We had rapid responses, ambulances, and sirens everywhere.”
Another drowning near Tauranga
Another person drowned in a separate incident at the northern end of Maketu Beach this afternoon.
Emergency services were notified just after 4pm today after an unresponsive male had washed up on the shoreline.
“Despite immediate medical attention, he was sadly unable to be revived,” police said.
The man’s death will be referred to the coroner.
