Divers recover bodies after car plunges into 10m of water

A woman and 3-year-old child are dead after a car plummeted down a bank into the Whanganui River just after 1.30pm yesterday.
Wanganui police SeniorSergeant Shayne Wainhouse said there were five people in the car.
Several members of the public dived into the river and tried to get to the car and the trapped occupants.
The body of a woman, 38, was recovered from the vehicle shortly after it disappeared in the water, and about four hours later members of the police dive squad began searching for the child.
The car was pulled out of the river about 7.15pm. An hour later, the child's body was discovered on the riverbed about 15m metres from where the car was found.
The other three occupants, two 13-year-old youths and a man, managed to escape from the car.
The three were taken to Wanganui Hospital, where the 13-year-olds were treated and discharged. The Chronicle understands the man refused treatment at the hospital and left.
Witnesses said the white Subaru car was travelling at speed when it hit a kerb at the intersection of Kiwi St and Anzac Parade, Wanganui East, and went over the bank into 10m of water.
The warm, sunny Sunday meant dozens of people were out and about, many picnicking on the banks on both sides of the river, watching the annual Wanganui speedboat regatta. When the incident happened, the regatta was about to get under way again.
Spokeswoman Andrea Robinson said when the speedboat drivers and club commodore Bill Gaudin heard a child was missing in the river, they decided to cancel the rest of the regatta.
"The guys didn't want to race again when they knew a baby was missing in the river.
"Well, you wouldn't, out of respect for the family. It's very, very sad."
Dozens of spectators drove to the accident scene, parking their cars down the road.
They milled about outside the cordoned-off area and wandered up and down the road trying to see. Others huddled in groups on the footpath or sat on the fences of houses across the road, watching.
A large contingent of emergency services, including Whanganui police, St John Ambulance, Wanganui firefighters, the police dive squad and Wanganui Coastguard attended.
Police crash investigators were at the scene working to determine the cause of the crash.
A tow truck was on standby to retrieve the car.