Two men rescued from car rooftop in flooded Canterbury river
The Ōpihi River.
Photo:
Creative Commons
Two men were rescued by helicopter after they became stranded on the rooftop of their car in a flooded river in southern Canterbury.
The men got stuck in fast flowing water near the fork of the Ōpihi and Temuka rivers at around 9.30pm on Saturday night, a police spokesperson said.
"They climbed onto the deck of the vehicle [as it] slowly sank but couldn't swim to safety due to the speed of the water," police said in a statement.
"As the vehicle sank to its bonnet, a Search and Rescue team was brought into help, along with a helicopter."
The men were stranded for almost two hours when, at 11.20pm, they were finally winched to safety.
"They were assessed at Timaru Hospital and later released to their very relieved family," the police spokesperson said.
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