Manawatū River drownings: Two men named - Toetu Tonisitino, 39, and Aukusitino Ioane, 25

Manawatū River. Photo / 123RF

Police have released the names of the two men who drowned in the Manawatū River on January 2.

They were Toetu Tonisitino, 39, and Aukusitino Ioane, 25, both of Palmerston North.

Police were continuing to make inquiries on behalf of the Coroner to establish how this tragedy occurred, a police spokeswoman said.

"As the matter has been referred to the Coroner, Police are unable to comment further regarding the cause of death."

Searchers recovered the men's bodies at a nearby location on the Manawatū River a short time after reports of their going missing. They had been swimming in the river near Awapuni.

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Their deaths came just days after a woman and young girl, refugees from Burma, drowned in the same section of the Palmerston North river.

An 11-year-old girl's body was recovered from the same area of the river on December 31. The 27-year-old's body was missing for four days and found on January 3, shortly after 10pm.

Refugees from Burma Mu Mu, 27, and Blae Ler Paw, 11, reportedly drowned in the Manawatū River on December 29, 2021.

Police said they believed the body to be the missing 27-year-old Burmese refugee Mu Mu and the 11-year-old to be Blae Ler Paw.

A Givealittle page has been set up for the Burma refugees. As at Wednesday, the page had raised more than $49,000.

In the aftermath of the tragedies, locals took to the Palmerston North Community Facebook page with one saying: "This awa isn't for swimming, it's going to keep taking until people learn. Praying for their safe return, their poor whanau. Not a good way to start the year."