An 18-year-old man died on Friday after trying to save a 12-year-old girl from the Waikato River in Taupō.
Bay of Plenty police said the man, Logan Ken Hughes of Taihape, got in trouble in the water while trying to save the girl.
Another person jumped in and helped the girl to safety.
“Later, in trying conditions, several rescuers worked tremendously hard to retrieve the 18-year-old from about seven metres of water,” Senior Constable Barry Shepherd said.
“CPR was performed for 40 minutes and medical staff did all they could to save him, but he died in hospital.”
Shepherd said the attempted rescue “was an instinctive display of humanity”.
Hughes’ school Palmerston North Boys’ High School paid tribute on Facebook .
“It is with much sadness that we heard Logan Hughes has tragically passed away. Logan was a College House Boarder from 2015 to 2018. Our love and thoughts are with the Hughes family.”
Police have now issued a safety warning for the river.
It comes after another unrelated incident two days earlier on December 16.
A group of teens were swimming down from the Taupō Control Gates Bridge when they were split up because of confusion and miscommunication, Shepherd said.
A full-scale search, involving a helicopter, was conducted after it was thought one of the group had gotten into trouble.
“Fortunately, the person thought to be in trouble was found to have already returned home,” he said.
“While unrelated, these two events underline the risk this fast-flowing river presents to the public and rescue teams who are called in to help.”
Shepherd urged swimmers to consider their confidence level before entering the water.
“Please do pay attention to the dangers and the signs posted by the river. Remember that rivers can have an enormously powerful pull.”
SHARE ME