A young woman has drowned after been swept down the Waikato River with three others this afternoon.
Police said the woman was swimming with a group of friends - two other women and a man - when the Aratiatia Dam opened, causing the water to rise rapidly.
The Aratiatia Rapids are formed when the dam gates open four times a day.
Officers said the group were swept down the river, but three of them managed to get to the river banks safely.
The Police Dive Squad is currently in the process of recovering the woman's body.
Hers is the seventh drowning in the past week.
