Body of missing soldier recovered from lake

L-R: Ashley Goodwin, Shane Ohlen and David Partington died when their army truck crashed into the Kawarau River near Queenstown

A body recovered from a lake near Cromwell is thought to be that of a soldier missing since an Army truck crashed last month.

Police and a member of the public spotted the body, believed to be of Private Shane Adrian Ohlen, floating towards the Bannockburn Bridge in the Kawarau Arm of Lake Dunstan about 8.30am.

Formal identification needed to be completed but police were satisfied it was Pte Ohlen, Sergeant Steve Ereckson of Cromwell said in a statement.

The Unimog truck ploughed off State Highway 6 and into the Kawarau River on February 23, killing Privates Ohlen, 21, of Wellington, Ashley Goodwin, 19, of Motueka, and David Partington, 17, of Linton.

The bodies of the other two soldiers have been recovered but the vehicle remains in the river.

Inquiries into the cause of the crash are continuing and the matter is the subject of an inquest.

- NZPA