Little hope of finding man missing from dinghy

12.00pm

A man missing after a boating accident north of Auckland yesterday may have been drinking with his two mates who survived, police say.

The missing man, who has yet to be named, was unlikely to be found alive. A police launch and helicopter were searching for his body on the southern side of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, about 26km north of Auckland, this morning.

Sergeant Steve Hawkings from the Whangaparaoa police said it appeared the three men had been drinking before they were out in their 3.6m dinghy without wearing lifejackets and without flares.

Residents at Matakatia Bay heard screams for help about 6.30pm and two of the three men were rescued, cold and suffering from hypothermia. There was no sign of the other man.

Police said they may call the police dive team if the man was not found during the search by the police launch Deodar and the police helicopter Eagle.

- NZPA