Gorge closes for truck recovery
Weekday commuters will have to be up and at ‘em tomorrow morning to avoid road closures in the Manawatu Gorge.
The road will close at 9am for a truck recovery operation after the vehicle veered off a steep cliff and plunged more than 50 metres down a bank into the Manawatu River on Friday morning.
Helicopter pilot Barry Vincent battled strong wind and rain to navigate the Manawatu Gorge as the two occupants of the truck were rescued from the icy cold river.
‘‘The [truck] cab was almost fully submerged in the water and it was quite severely damaged. So we landed at the site and had a quick briefing from staff there on the site as to what was required of us and what the situation was, and at that point the truck driver needed fairly quick extrication,’’ he said.
A St John paramedic was winched down and on to the truck cab to prep and extract the driver. His passenger, a woman, was rescued from the river.
Today the Manawatu Gorge will be open under temporary traffic management, with the road near the crash site reduced to one lane and controlled by traffic lights. Tomorrow the road has to be closed completely while a large crane lifts the truck out of the river. Two alternative routes will be available – the Saddle Rd and the Pahiatua Track.
Police are still investigating the cause of the incident.