Three men have been successfully rescued after being reported missing while rafting on the Waikaia River near Piano Flat.

Photo: Eastern Southland Search & Rescue/Facebook

Police were alerted around 9:30pm yesterday (8 Feb) when the men failed to reach their designated pick-up point following a planned trip on the river. Initial enquiries were made overnight, and Police Search and Rescue commenced the search at first light this morning.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand provided a Command Truck to serve as a forward search base at Piano Flat.

Southern Lakes Helicopters – Te Anau assisted by providing a helicopter, which located two inflatable watercrafts in a gorge section of the river, approximately 6.5 km north of Piano Flat.

At around 11:30 AM, one of the men was spotted by the helicopter near the river’s edge with a leg injury. The other two men were found nearby shortly after, cold but otherwise uninjured.

The trio were winched to safety by the helicopter and medically assessed.

The man with the leg injury was transported to hospital by ambulance.

Police expressed their gratitude to Land Search and Rescue volunteers from Southland, Eastern Southland, Catlins, and Fiordland, as well as Amateur Radio Emergency Communications.

They also thanked the public for providing vital information about the area and terrain.