Wairoa River: Body found believed to be missing fisherman

A rescue boat on the Wairoa River as part of the search. Photo / The Wairoa Star

A body has been found by those searching for a fisherman missing along the Wairoa River in northern Hawke’s Bay.

A man went missing on Wednesday evening when the dinghy he was in capsized along the river.

Two people were inside the 2.5-metre aluminium dinghy when it flipped, and one person was able to swim ashore and alert police. It is understood they had been out fishing.

Police confirmed on Sunday afternoon that a body had been found during the search, upstream from where he was last seen.

“Formal identification is yet to take place, however it is believed to be [the] man who went overboard on Wednesday,” they said.

The missing person search - which entered its fifth day on Sunday morning - included police national dive squad, search and rescue, surf lifesaving, and a police drone.

The dinghy was located early on in the search last week, upturned on mudflats on the northern side of the river, also upstream from the river mouth.

The Wairoa District Council banned fishing along the river during the missing person search, from the river mouth to the town bridge.