West Coast search scaled down

A scaled down search will resume this morning for a West Coast man who fled into the Grey River after a car crash.

An extensive search involving local land search and rescue teams, dog handlers, surf rescue boats, kayaks, coast guard, helicopter and police failed to find any sign of Andrew David Lorimer, 21, yesterday.

He was last seen running towards the river after the 3.30pm crash at Taylorville, 12km northeast of Greymouth.

He later rang his girlfriend on his mobile phone saying he was actually in the river but that was the last time he was heard from.

Weather conditions overnight were mild but the section of the river was swollen and dangerous.

"The only hope that we have is that he has got out of the river and is actively avoiding us," Constable Sean Judd of West Coast search and rescue said.

Mr Lorimer's phone call to his girlfriend was not a clear conversation but he sounded stressed following the crash, he said.

Searchers would today focus on specific areas of the river bank, probably using a couple of dog teams, Mr Judd said.

- NZPA