Source: Radio New Zealand
Police search for missing Wellington man Philip Sutton. RNZ / Mark Papalii
From the muddy waters of the Karori Stream on Wednesday morning, a police dog emerges, shakes, and begins to sniff along the far bank.
Search teams, including the dive squad and a dog unit, continue to hunt for missing man Philip Sutton, who disappeared when floodwaters surged through a South Karori Road home on Monday.
Tuesday brought more rain, and the search was paused due to unstable stream banks, variable and fast-moving water, debris and damaged terrain.
But on Wednesday, the search got underway just after 8am.
The search got under way again on Wednesday morning. RNZ / Mark Papalii
Wellington District Prevention Manager, Inspector Fleur de Bes, asked members of the public to respect safety advice and allow teams to work safely at the scene.
She said Philips’s family were in close contact with police. They had expressed thanks for the public’s concern and support, but asked for privacy.
Missing Wellington man Philip Sutton NZ Police/Supplied
Inspector Dean Silvester told RNZ the search conditions were challenging.
The location was semi-rural, he said, and there were concerns around debris, water levels, bank subsidence and wastewater contamination.
At the scene, debris could be seen in trees more than a metre off the ground. “So that gives some indication of the ferocity,” Silvester said.
Police had collected the bumper of a silver car from the scene, but Silvester said they had not yet been able to link it to Sutton’s vehicle.
Police loading the bumper of a silver car into a van. RNZ / Kate Green
Already, police had advised people not to take matters into their own hands and search for Sutton on their own.
bank subsidence and wastewater contamination. RNZ / Mark Papalii
However, a group of volunteers were at the scene on Tuesday afternoon. One told RNZ searchers, responding to a call on social media, had found an item of clothing and a bag – although these were not confirmed as belonging to Sutton. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/weather/593011/public-strongly-advised-against-searching-for-missing-karori-man-philip-sutton-themselves
Silvester said given the severity of the scene itself, they would “strongly suggest that doesn’t occur”.
The official search had also turned up some “items of interest”, Silvester said, but he couldn’t confirm what those items were.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
