Fatal incident in Waimatā River near Gisborne claims life of digger operator

An excavator operator died on Monday morning after the machine he was using overturned in a river near Gisborne.

The 30-tonne excavator was carrying out work in the river at the time of the incident.

Emergency response teams were dispatched to the location around 10.20am.

According to an emergency services spokesperson, the excavator flipped over, trapping the male operator in the cab, which then sank about 10 metres from the riverbank.

Attempts to retrieve the vehicle and the driver persisted throughout the afternoon.

Read more here.