Fisherman, refugee may boost drowning toll

By STAFF REPORTERS and NZPA

A Hamilton man is feared to have drowned while fishing on the Waikato coast yesterday.

He was named last night as Timothay Heng, aged 37. A further seven people have drowned in the past week, including a Tampa refugee whose body was recovered from a river near Christchurch yesterday and two men who died yesterday.

Police Inspector Barry Smalley said Mr Heng was understood to have been surfcasting with two other men near the mouth of the Marakopa River on the west coast, south of Kawhia. The men got into trouble just before midday and only two made it to shore.

A man drowned off Sumner Beach in Christchurch last night. He was dragged ashore but could not be resuscitated.

In Croiselles Harbour on Tasman Bay, another man died after an accident between a boat and a canoe in Tasman Bay. No further details were available.

The 23-year-old Afghani who disappeared in the Waimakariri River north of Christchurch on Friday is thought to have been one of 141 refugees accepted by New Zealand from the Norwegian freighter Tampa. He had been living in Ashburton since and he has not been named because police are trying to find family in Afghanistan.

The man, who was trying to cool off in the heat, was unable to swim. He was with a group of others Afghanis who were helped out of the river by locals when they got in trouble about 5.30pm on Friday.

Police divers found his body beneath 2m of water yesterday.

Holiday drownings

The death toll for water tragedies in the holiday period from December 24 to January 5:

2002-2003: 6

2001-2002: 19

2000-2001: 4

1999-2000: 12