Glenorchy man dies in jet boat accident

A man who died in a jet boat accident on Canterbury’s Waimakariri River can now be named.

Duayne Barry Insley, of Glenorchy, was 47 years old.

The accident happened during the second day of the week-long 2017 World Championship Jetboat Marathon.

Emergency services were called to the river, north of Christchurch, at 10.50am yesterday.

A St John spokeswoman said paramedics were called, but Insley had died at the scene. No-one else was injured.

In a statement, police say their thoughts were with Insley’s friends and family ‘‘while we continue to make inquiries on behalf of the coroner’’.

The New Zealand Jet Boat River Racing Association, in a statement, says that it is working directly with police following the ‘‘tragedy’’.

‘‘It is with deep sadness we must acknowledge the loss of one of our jet boat racing family [on Sunday] ... during the upstream leg,’’ a spokesman said.

Details of how the accident happened were being investigated by police, but the association confirmed it happened in the braided section of the river, about 10 to 15 minutes above an area known as ‘‘the pylons’’.

‘‘Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families of everyone involved at this very difficult time.’’

The World Championship Jetboat Marathon is held in New Zealand once every four years and is hosted by the other participating countries – the United States, Mexico and Canada – in the years in between.

A media release issued by organisers before the event began said the competitors would be racing at speeds of up 225kmh on several of New Zealand’s braided shingle rivers.

Fourty-two boats were set to race in four classes.

Racing started on the Waimakariri River at midday on Saturday.