Search resumes for fisherman missing off Raglan coast

Wednesday, 2 December 2020

The search has resumed for a fisherman swept off rocks near Raglan.

The man was fishing at Papanui Point with two friends when he was swept into the sea on Sunday, a police spokeswoman said.

Police were notified about 9.30am that the man in his late 30s and from the Philippines had gone missing.

Bad weather hampered search efforts on Sunday, when Police, Coastguard, Surf Lifeguards and the rescue helicopter all pitched in to look for the man.

There were no searches on Tuesday because of the conditions, which a police spokeswoman said made access difficult due to high seas and sheer cliff faces.

But by Wednesday conditions had improved and two teams of police search and rescue members were out conducting coastline searches, which were undertaken from the shore not a boat.

“We are expecting to continue doing this method of searching over the next couple of days.”

Papanui Point is known as an unforgiving fishing spot which has claimed multiple lives over the years.