Post mortem on body found in Wellington drain

Photo / Thinkstock

A post mortem examination will be carried out today on a body found lodged in a stormwater drain in central Wellington.

A member of the public called police at midday yesterday after discovering the body in a drain near Te Papa, the national museum, close to the central Wellington waterfront.

Detective Inspector Paul Basham yesterday said the death was being treated as suspicious, although it was too early to speculate on the identity of the person or circumstances surrounding the death.

The body was found near a car park that on Sundays is the venue for a popular market.

It was recovered from the stormwater culvert overnight and a post mortem examination would be carried out this afternoon.

A police cordon remains in place around the area today, with a tent over the site where the body was found.

A Fire Service hazardous materials vehicle was also on the scene.

The market closed earlier than usual yesterday after a section of the stalls was included in the cordon area.

A Te Papa employee said the museum had no knowledge of the circumstances of the body's discovery, which was made outside Te Papa's property boundaries.