Report out on fatal Shotover River rafting accident

The Maritime Safety Authority has released its report into the death of a woman on the Shotover River near Queenstown in August last year.

Miss Yoly Chi was on a combined Challenge Rafting/Queenstown Rafting trip when she fell from the raft.

"The report concludes that prior to entering a rapid the raft hit a boulder, overturning and trapping Miss Chi", said Tony Martin, Acting Director of the Maritime Safety Authority.

"The hydraulic pressure of the river flow on the raft, after it tilted, would have been considerable. This made it extremely difficult to extricate the raft from around the boulder", he said.

The two rafting companies involved say that the Maritime Safety Authority is to be complimented on the thoroughness of the report.

"It provides a detailed analysis of the events surround this tragic accident," said Vance Boyd, Managing Director of Queenstown Rafting Ltd and Mark Quickfall, Managing Director of Challenge Rafting.

"This tragedy deeply affected all of our staff, we understand fully the loss felt by Yoly's family which will no doubt be rekindled at this time. Our sympathy is with them," they said.

The report does not attribute any procedural failure, or identify any specific fault on the part of the guide.

The Maritime Safety Authority is to facilitate a workshop on the issues arising from the accident with key rafting industry representatives.