Wellington: Five people are dead and three others missing after a boating accident in New Zealand, according to police.
Inspector Duncan Hall said that a boat carrying 11 people got into trouble on Saturday in Kaipara Harbour near Auckland. He said rescuers managed to pull three survivors from the water, who were taken to a hospital. He said rescuers also recovered five bodies.
Hall said in a statement the boat was reported as overdue to emergency services at 3:30 pm. Police were still trying to establish what happened to the boat and how its occupants ended up in the water.
Hall said teams had ended an aerial search for the night and would start again early Sunday. The New Zealand Herald newspaper reported the vessel was a chartered fishing boat.
