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Police are preparing to retrieve a vehicle from a swollen Grey River and believe it may contain a body.
Acting West Coast police area commander Senior Sergeant John Price said today it appeared the vehicle left the road after failing to take a bend north of Taylorville, 12km northeast of Greymouth, last night, plunged through bush and into the Grey River.
"We've located a vehicle directly below the crash site," Mr Price said.
He said a person had been reported missing last night from Blackball, 24km northeast of Greymouth.
"That person left Taylorville before the accident was reported and was travelling to Blackball," he said.
"We've yet to establish whether the vehicle in the river is the vehicle that person was travelling in, or if there is anyone in the vehicle."
Mr Price said the Grey River was in high flood yesterday, but the water level had dropped considerably over the last 12 hours and was continuing to drop.
The submerged vehicle was about 6m out from the riverbank and in about 1.5m of water.
Police were awaiting the arrival of dive quad members before searching the vehicle and attempting to recover it.
- NZPA
