Navy divers have recovered a body from the site of the plane that was ditched last Saturday, 30km south west of Raglan. The body has been has been brought ashore by the Raglan Volunteer Coastguard. Waikato Police described the recovery as a significant step but say there’s still a lot of work to be done.
Police say they will continue working on Sunday to locate the second body. Later a decision will be made on bringing up the wreckage of the plane.
A 2Degrees spokesperson says the Hertz family is extremely grateful for the work of the recovery authorities, the people of Raglan and local iwi.
District Operations Manager, Inspector John Kelly, said today, Navy divers completed five dives on the site and that about noon recovered one body from the wreckage.
“Because of the sensitivities surrounding this multi-agency operation, Police will not be able to confirm any details about this person until the body has been formally identified.
“Police are currently working on behalf of the Coroner in relation to this and the person’s body was bought to shore this afternoon with the assistance of the Raglan Coastguard and will be transported to Auckland for a post-mortem examination to be carried out on Monday.”
Commanding officer of the Operational Dive Team (ODT), Lieutenant Commander Trevor Leslie, said the environmental conditions faced by the divers include various sized swells, strong bottom currents and significantly reduced visibility below the surface.
“These conditions, combined with diver entanglement hazards and the inherent risks associated with diving to this depth are just some of the challenges facing the ODT divers”
Both men confirmed that though challenging, the right people with the right resources were on hand to complete the operation successfully. MetOcean grades today’s working conditions at Gannet Island as dangerous with high seas.