10 Jan 2011

Search for teen in jet-ski crash

8:13 am on 10 January 2011

The search for a teenager missing and presumed dead after a jet-ski crash on a Rotorua lake was to continue for a third day.

Two jet-skis collided on Saturday afternoon on Lake Okareka.

Coastguard vessels, a helicopter, about 20 local boats and the police dive squad have been involved in the search for the missing 17-year-old man.

Divers were to continue what Detective Sergeant John Wilson said was likely to be a search for a body on Monday.

Mr Wilson said the team had to resolve some technical issues that have arisen due to the depth they're searching at.

He has said preliminary inquiries indicated the teenager was not wearing a lifejacket.

Maritime New Zealand says maintaining a proper lookout and a safe speed are important when using a jet-ski.

The organisation's safety inspector Jim Lilley says regulatory changes in other countries have made little difference to death rates, indicating education rather than law change is the key.