Police locate sole occupant of submerged vehicle in Clutha River

Central Otago police have located the driver of a vehicle that was believed to have plunged into the Clutha River near the Roxburgh Dam earlier this week.

The Otago Daily Times understood police were alerted mid-afternoon on Tuesday by a woman walking on a now private section of Tamblyn Dr in the Roxburgh Hydro Village after she discovered signs a vehicle had crashed through a fence at the end of the about 700m track, past willow trees and into the river - a drop of about 15m.

A police search began in earnest on Tuesday evening and a larger police presence was at the scene yesterday.

Central Otago Police said on Thursday that the driver of the vehicle had been found safe and well.

Police were satisfied that there was only one occupant in the vehicle and thanked the public for their assistance.

The spokeswoman said police believed the vehicle, a royal blue Subaru station wagon, left the road and became submerged in the river some time earlier this week.

Police said while they had not sighted or located the vehicle, they believed that it is in the river from the information received.