At around 10am this morning, three men in a small dinghy were about to set off fishing from the Waipuna Road boat ramp in Mt Wellington. At this stage it appears that as they left the wharf, the boat capsized and all three men were thrown overboard.
The men were approximately 10 metres away from the shore. One man managed to make it back to shore by himself. Another man was assisted by members of the public and is not injured. Bystanders also helped to retrieve the third man from the water and CPR was performed on him, but sadly, he died at the scene.
The two survivors are not seriously injured, but are understandably shaken and are currently speaking with Police.
A number of witnesses were interviewed at the scene.
The dinghy sank and has not yet been recovered.
Enquiries are underway into the circumstances, including how the boat capsized.
At this point in time, Police believe the trio were not wearing lifejackets when they were thrown into the water.
The deceased is a Mr Sililo Seiuli, a 55 year old Mount Wellington man.
ENDS
Beth Bates/NZ Police