The police national dive squad will today join the search for a man who went missing while swimming in a Wairarapa river yesterday.
Police hold grave fears for the 19-year-old Masterton man who had been swimming in the Ruamahanga River near Opaki with a group of friends when he disappeared in a deep, turbulent pool around 5pm, police said.
The search for the man involved the Life Flight rescue helicopter, a jet boat, family and friends of the man, land Search and Rescue teams, police, ambulance and fire service staff.
The search would continue today with the help of the police national dive squad, police said.
The river's condition at the time of the man's disappearance involved swift and dirty water caused by rain in the Tararua Forest Park. Conditions had since improved, police said.
The man's name had not yet been released.
