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WorkSafe has opened an investigation into the death of a schoolboy at Abbey Caves in Whangārei.
The student, believed to be 15, was on a school trip at the caves on Tuesday morning when he was swept away by rising floodwaters.
Police confirmed they had located a body in the search for the student.
WorkSafe said they had been notified of the fatality at Abbey Caves in Whangārei.
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“[We] extend sincere condolences to the whānau, school, and wider community affected by this tragedy,” a spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.
The spokesperson said WorkSafe cannot comment further while the investigation is underway.
Superintendent Tony Hill, Northland district commander confirmed the body had been recovered on Tuesday evening, after specialist equipment arrived from Auckland to assist in the search.
Susan Edmunds/Stuff
A boy has died after being swept away by floodwaters in Abbey Cave.
Hill said that while formal identification was yet to take place, police have ensured the family was being offered support, and their thoughts remained with them at this tragic time.
Parents of children on the school trip have expressed anger at the lack of communication from the school, and questioned why the children were taken into the cave despite the severe weather.
The mother of a boy who saw a classmate swept away in floodwaters said she waited hours to find out if her son was alive.
The anguished mum called her boy, but the child and his traumatised classmates were told by police not to answer their phones.
Susan Edmunds/Stuff
Emergency services blocked off the entry to the caves on Tuesday.
The mother said communication from police and the school to frantic parents had been “shocking”.
“I can’t understand why this happened, but then I can’t understand why they went in the first place… You put complete trust in them with your child and you expect them to err on the side of caution,” she said.
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