Bodies of two men recovered after drowning on Manawatū River

Sunday, 2 January 2022

Senior Sergeant Phil Ward confirms another drowning in the Manawatu River today in the same area where two people went missing the previous week. (First published January 2, 2022)

Two bodies have been recovered on the banks of Manawatū River after two men went missing in the waters after swimming in late afternoon.

Police said the men were aged in the 30s and 40s and were from the same family.

It was the same part of the river where a woman and child drowned last week.

“It’s a very dangerous part of the river, with a steep drop-off. It goes from one metre to five metres very quickly,” a police spokesman at the scene said.

* Manawatū River searchers recover child's body

* Bodies of two men recovered after drowning on Manawatū River**

People on the banks of the river had tried to save the men, but had been unsuccessful.

Emergency services respond on the scene at Manawatū River where two men went missing while swimming.

A rāhui had been placed on the river and police “asked people to respect that”, he said. Between 50 and 60 people had been swimming in the river that day.

The body of the child from last week’s incident was recovered on New Year’s Eve. The woman's body is still missing.

Emergency services were responding to the incident following reports from the public at about 5.30pm.