One person has been killed after a helicopter crashed into the sea in French Pass in Marlborough.
Police confirmed that at 5.20pm a member of the public called 111 to report seeing a chopper hit power lines and then plunge into the water.
The severed power line - which runs between D'Urville Island and the mainland - had now been isolated.
Divers had found the wreckage in about 10m of water and the Police Dive Squad was on its way from Wellington to recover the body. This was likely to be completed tomorrow, police said.
While the helicopter's registration had been confirmed, no further information on the identity of the craft or the person believed to be inside could be released at this stage.
