Man drowns in submerged car

File photo / NZ Herald

A Hauraki Plains farm worker apparently drowned overnight when his car rolled upside down into a canal when the road gave way, say police.

The 47-year-old man had stopped at his gate at Hikutaia, 21km south of Thames, when the side of the road appeared to have given way and his car rolled into the canal.

Emergency services were called to the scene at 9.30am today, but Sergeant Jim Corbett of Thames police said the car may have been in the canal since about 8.30pm yesterday.

The man was found when he failed to turn up at work and colleagues went looking for him.

Mr Corbett said the car was submerged. It was towed out by a tow truck and the man's body found.

The man had stopped his car on the side of the road, he said.

"It looks as though part of the bank has given away, enough to roll him into the drain. It appears the driver has tried to get out but the narrowness of the canal would have prevented him opening the doors.

"Speed is definitely not a factor. It is not as though he was flying through the air."

It was too early to say if alcohol was a contributing factor, Mr Corbett said.

The man's name has not yet been released. His death brought the Waikato road toll to 25, compared to 22 for the same period last year.

- NZPA