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Five people are believed to be dead following the capsize of a fishing boat near Kaikōura.
Six others have been rescued.
Police, the town mayor, and coastguard, are due to give an update shortly.
The incident happened on Saturday morning near Goose Bay, south of the coastal town.
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Sources believe the vessel collided with a whale, and the boat involved is understood to belong to a local fishing charter business.
It’s understand the people on board were a group of women.
Supplied
Rescue effort off Kaikōura coast after a boat capsized in an apparent collision with a whale.
A rescue helicopter, Coastguard volunteers, and divers were called in throughout the day to help with the rescue and recovery efforts. It’s understood the boat is now being towed to shore, after an hours-long rescue effort.
People have gathered on the shore south of Goose Bay to watch the recovery of the boat and await further news.
One local woman said it “seems like a freak accident”.
“Everyone’s very shocked, we’re still waiting to hear about the ones still missing.”
A second, larger, boat is now alongside the capsized boat and a helicopter is flying overhead.
It is a dry, clear day, with very little wind and the sea is calm.
One local man who fishes along the stretch of coastline said conditions this morning were good and the sea was very calm.
He said the upturned boat appeared to be about 6m in length and had a twin engine.
Anthony Phelps/Stuff
Rescuers at the scene.
Kaikōura mayor Craig Mackle said there was a “sick feeling” amongst those waiting for news.
The dive squad arrived about 2pm, and appeared to be searching next to the overturned boat, a reporter at the scene said. .
A lot of volunteers had helped, and boats were kept “at a minimum” to keep the rescue effort co-ordinated, and ensure the slipway stayed clear, Mackle said.
He believed six people had been taken to the local medical centre for treatment. Fire crews, ambulances and police vehicles were present, he said.
Mackle said emotions were running high.
“It’s not great. You’ve got this sick feeling.”
In a statement on Saturday morning, police said they were responding to the incident “in which a boat has reportedly capsized” but have since provided no more information.
Kai Schwoerer/Stuff
An onlooker stands on the coast near where the boat capsized.
The South Bay slipway was closed to the public while police responded.
A woman who works at a fishing charter said she understood 11 people were on board.
Reports of what had happened were unclear, she said. “There’s a few fishing companies around here, we were trying to figure out who it was.”
Local operators had gone to the area to see if they could help, she said.
Vanessa Chapman and a group of friends had been watching the scene unfold from Goose Bay lookout since 11am.
Chapman said when they arrived at the bay they saw an upturned boat with a sole person sitting on top waving their arms.
That person had been rescued, and she believes they witnessed another person being pulled from the water, too.
Kai Schwoerer/Stuff
A helicopter hovers above the capsized boat.
Two Westpac rescue helicopters, and a local chopper, had been circling, and going backwards and forwards and they had watched one “all but land on the capsized boat and two divers jumped out”.
“Then another local boat has pulled in, and we believe someone was put on that boat, and then he shot straight into town and the helicopters have just been searching. They still are.”
She said it was hard to tell the kind of boat it was – from a distance it just appeared to be a dinghy, but being upside down, it was difficult to see.
An ambulance was parked up nearby. The conditions were “absolutely calm. A wee bit of a roll, but it’s unreal to think someone has capsized their boat”.
New Zealand’s history of maritime disasters
March 2022: Five men died when fishing charter boat Enchanter capsized near North Cape.
November 2021: Two men died when their boat sank in Bluff Harbour.
October 2021: Three men died when their boat capsized in Auckland’s Manukau Harbour.
June 2021: One man died when his boat capsized in large waves attempting to cross the Kaituna Cut bar in the Bay of Plenty.
April 2021: A 2-year-old girl died when the boat she was on flipped as it tried to cross the bar at the Taieri Mouth south of Dunedin.
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