Children still missing after 4WD plunges into river

Police have named two children missing after a 4WD vehicle plunged off a mountain road and into Lake Wakatipu near Glenorchy in Central Otago last night.

Thomas John Poplawski, seven and his five-year-old sister, Georgia Rose Poplawski, have not been seen since the 4WD in which they were travelling left the unsealed road near Greenstone Station, south of Kinloch in the Wakatipu area and ended up in 35m of water.

Senior sergeant John Fookes of the Queenstown police said there were four people in the vehicle -- all from the same family -- and two managed to escape.

The southbound vehicle left the road about 9pm and crashed through scrub down a steep embankment into Lake Wakatipu.

Emergency services and volunteers attended.

A night-vision equipped helicopter from Te Anau took part in the initial search and then assisted in transporting divers and equipment to the scene.

Later in the evening, the vehicle was located upside down in more than 30m of water on a steep part of the lake bed.

A line was attached but attempts to lift out the wreck by helicopter failed and the vehicle was believed to have slipped some distance further down, Mr Fookes said.

Police divers are now being consulted as to what further options are available.

A shoreline search this morning to locate the missing children was unsuccessful.

- NZPA