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Emergency services responded to a boating accident off the coast of Southland today at 2:55 PM. A recreational boat capsized approximately 100 meters offshore, with five people on board.
Tragically, two individuals lost their lives in the incident. Two others were rescued from the water and have been transported to Southland Hospital for treatment. The search for the fifth person is ongoing, with emergency teams working tirelessly to locate them.
Police, Coastguard Riverton, Coastguard Bluff, Hato Hone St John, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, and SAR volunteers were all involved in the response to the accident.
New Zealand Southland Area Commander Inspector Mike Bowman stated, “This is an absolute tragedy, and our thoughts are with the families and friends affected by this devastating incident”, in a statement this evening from Police.
Further information regarding the identities of those involved will be released once next-of-kin notifications have been completed.
The community is urged to remain vigilant and provide any information that may assist in the ongoing search efforts.
Not the first lost on the bar, another recent similar case
Jamie Stephen Boniface, 28, drowned after the boat he was in lost control, throwing him and two others overboard during a fishing trip in Southland’s Riverton estuary on September 9, 2018.
The Coroner’s report into his death, said all three men resurfaced close together. Two held on to the bow of the semi-submerged boat while Boniface attempted to swim to shore, about 100m away.
He was not a good swimmer and a friend urged him to take off his gumboots. It was then that he disappeared and did not resurface. His body was found three days later.
Coroner Heather McKenzie concluded Mr Boniface had been weighed down by his gumboots and that water filling them made it difficult to remove them, which led to him drowning.
(Extra information from Maritime NZ website).
