Any elation rescuers felt after saving a pregnant woman from a car which plunged into the Wairoa River late yesterday morning disappeared after they were told that a baby, strapped into his child seat, was still in the back.
Their hopes that a life-saving air pocket may have formed in the
submerged car also disappeared after they located the car in five metres of murky water.
As the rescued and shocked mother watched on, the two members of the public and an off-duty police officer who came across the scene emerged, after a frantic five-minute search for the car, with the baby boy.
He had drowned.
Police today named him as Aizijah Kenneth Raupita.
His mother, 23-year-old Ruth Jane, who is six months pregnant, was taken to Wairoa Hospital but later flown to Hawke's Bay Hospital. At the request of the family the hospital was not releasing any details of the conditions of Ms Jane or her unborn child.
Senior sergeant Tony Bates of Wairoa Police said the call-out was difficult for everyone involved.
"It always increases anxiety when there is someone still in the car," he said, adding it was even more harrowing when it turned out to be a baby.
"The family are absolutely distraught as you'd expect. They have the worry about the mother and they have lost a young child."
The family had asked police that they not be contacted.
One of the rescuers had held out hope the baby may have still been alive.
Off-duty officer sergeant Aubrey Ormond had dived into the water to assist a man who had seen the car leave the road about 4km south of Wairoa, and disappear under the water.
The witness had been able to get the mother clear and with the help of a person jet-skiing nearby got her to the bank.
She frantically told him her baby was in the car.
Mr Ormond said he hoped that an air bubble may have kept the baby alive, but when they found the car they discovered the impact had knocked the rear window out.
They reached in and pulled the baby from the car.
Mr Bates said the crash happened just after 11am on what he described as a moderate bend through the Turiroa Cutting at the end of a long straight.
The southbound car apparently crossed the road and crashed down a bank and into the river.
"We are still investigating it," he said, adding that it did not appear any other vehicles were involved.
Any elation rescuers felt after saving a pregnant woman from a car which plunged into the Wairoa River late yesterday morning disappeared after they were told that a baby, strapped into his child seat, was still in the back.
Their hopes that a life-saving air pocket may have formed in the
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