24 Mar 2008

Belgian man drowns in New Caledonian river

2:46 pm on 24 March 2008

Police in New Caledonia have found the body of Belgian man who drowned in a river near Hienghene on the east coast.

Henri Blaffart was swept away by a strong current when he and a visiting representative of the WWF tried to cross the river.

His body was found two days after he vanished.

The incident happened during a period of persistent rain in the area.