Body recovered from Ōhau canal

The body of a 29-year-old man was recovered in the Ōhau B Canal, by the Police National Dive Squad on Sunday evening.

A car was reported to have crashed near the Ōhau B Canal Bridge, on State Highway 8, (Twizel-Ōmarama Road) on Sunday morning, and an empty car was located in the water near the bridge, Southern District Police posted on its Facebook site.

The man, who is yet to be formally identified by police, was believed to have been the only occupant of the vehicle and was found after a shoreline and water search was carried out in the area.

Temporary road closures had been in place to allow search teams to access the area safely.

The Canterbury Rowing Championships, which were taking place at Lake Ruataniwha, near Twizel, were also suspended for a short time on Sunday morning, as boats aided in the search.

Police wished to thank motorists for their patience, and to thank everyone who assisted with the search effort.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash were ongoing, and anyone who witnessed the crash and had not yet spoken to police, were asked to make contact via the 105 phone service or online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using Update My Report, using reference file number 230115/5559.

Article written by Ashley Smyth