The search for a 13-year-old-boy who went missing after a
boat capsized in the Hauraki Gulf is now a body recovery
operation.
The Papakura boy and three family members went missing after
their 12-foot runabout capsized within an hour of launching
from Kawakawa Bay about 11am on Thursday.
Three men, two of them clinging to the capsized boat, were
rescued yesterday morning.
Searchers continued looking for the 13-year-old boy but their
efforts were called off about 3pm yesterday.
The boy is now presumed dead and police this morning said the
search was now a body recovery operation.
Experts were working with police to analyse where the boy's
body might be located.
The Navy has supplied Remis, a torpedo-like device which is
programmed to swim unattended along the sea bed, which will
undertake 3D scans and photography.
Police said the process could take up to five hours and the
information would be downloaded once it was completed.
"It will identify if a body is on the sea bed and also its
exact location. Police divers will then be called in to
search the area and surrounding area."
A police boat was working alongside Remis.
The Westpac Rescue helicopter and Coastguard were both stood
down from the search yesterday, partly due to the weather.
Police have expressed their disappointment that none of the
survivors who were rescued yesterday were wearing life
jackets.
Inspector Shawn Rutene yesterday said the 13-year-old boy was
believed to have separated from the others sometime during
the night.
"Indications tell us so far they were all huddled together on
the boat, it was dark, it was pretty rough and at some point
during the night or early morning the parties have
separated," Mr Rutene said.
The boat capsized halfway between the Coromandel and Waiheke
Island, which Mr Rutene said was "a place that you really
don't want to be in the water".
Coastguard operations manager Ray Burge said the family
should have checked the marine weather before they went out.
"A vessel that size with four people, probably not the best."
- Andrew Koubaridis
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