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A person has been airlifted to hospital after crashing their car into a river near Queenstown this morning.
Fire crews were called out shortly before 8.30am after receiving reports of a car in the Rees River.
It is understood the incident occurred at a bridge over the river near Glenorchy. It was also initially believed the driver - the sole occupant - was trapped in their vehicle.
Shift manager Alex Norris said two fire units attended the job - one from Glenorchy and another from Queenstown carrying specialist cutting gear.
However, the Queenstown crew were turned back when it was discovered the driver was out of the vehicle.
Police were also in attendance and confirmed the person had been airlifted to Queenstown Lakes Hospital with moderate to serious injuries.
Rees Bridge is a few kilometres from the centre of Glenorchy. A local told The New Zealand Herald it was commonly used by commuters.
“We have incidents [at the bridge] but nothing major,” the local said.
