Car crashes into river during street race

Photo / Thinkstock

Alcohol appears to be a factor in a street race which ended with a car submerged in the Waikato River, police say.

Three people managed to escape and swim to safety, narrowly averting a disaster, according to Waikato police.

Acting Senior Sergeant Dale Smith said emergency services were called to Great South Rd in Ngaruawahia shortly after 2am today.

"Initial reports were the three occupants of a Toyota Altezza car were unaccounted for after the car had hit a bank and crashed into the Waikato River," Mr Smith said.

"Fortunately, before responding police and fire rescue boats arrived, the 19-year-old male driver and his 17- and 31-year-old male passengers managed to make their way ashore."

Mr Smith said inquiries into what had occurred revealed the driver of the car had been racing a ute.

"It appears the utility failed to negotiate a corner and crashed through a fence," he said.

The car managed to take the corner but crashed into a bank, bounced over another and crashed into the river.

Both drivers were breathalysed, with the driver of the car returning a result of 486mcg and the 22-year-old driver of the utility returning a result of over 600mcg, police say.

The legal limit is 400 mcg.

The passengers in the car and a passenger in the utility were all unhurt in the crashes.

Mr Smith said the car in the river remained submerged two to three metres below the surface.

"Police are still assessing what, if any, further charges may result from this morning's incident," he said.

"In the end, poor decision making, speed and alcohol all appear to have been contributing factors in what so easily could have ended up as a tragedy."