The bodies of a husband and wife, who drowned in a Christchurch lake when their driving lesson went wrong, have been recovered by police divers. NZN/Lisa Benoit
A husband who died trying to save his wife from a Christchurch lake during a driving lesson that turned to tragedy yesterday has been hailed as a hero by his distraught family.
The bodies of Avneel Ram, 26, and his 31-year-old wife Sheetal were recovered by police divers from thebottom of a lake in the Halswell area of Westlake Reserve today.
Sheetal's brother-in-law Hinesh Kumar and other family members identified the bodies at the scene.
They formed a guard of honour, crying and hugging, as the bodies were taken from the lakeside into the back of a waiting hearse.
The bodies of Avneel Ram, 26, and his 31-year-old wife Sheetal were recovered by police divers from the bottom of the lake in Westlake Reserve today. Photo / Supplied
"If this was Fiji, we would've have got in and got them out ourselves. We would not wait around."
Divers located the bodies this morning. They were removed just after midday.
The car, fitted with L plates and a damaged front windscreen, was found by divers on its roof at a depth of 6m in the lake which was formerly a shingle quarry.
Police and rescuers at the scene yesterday afternoon, minutes after the tragedy unfolded. A diver had gone into the lake but could not locate the vehicle. Photo / Broadcast Media
It was lifted out by a crane this afternoon.
The family left the lakeside after that to grieve together.
It was a "shock" to see the bodies, Kumar said as he left the scene.
Canterbury metro area commander Superintendent Lane Todd said it was a "very tragic event".
The lake is just 200m from Checketts Ave where Helen Milner, dubbed the Black Widow, murdered her husband Phil Nisbet in 2009.
Checketts Ave is also where builder Michael McGrath lived before his mysterious disappearance in May.
Police se arched the lake during their massive, and so far unsuccessful, hunt.
