2-year-old boy dies in Northland of suspected drowning

A child is believed to have died today from an alleged drowning in Dargaville.

Emergency services were called to a property on Waihue Rd around 12:30 pm after a report of the sudden death of a child. The child is understood to be two years old.

The police were alerted shortly before 12:30 pm and the death is not being treated as suspicious.

There are no further details at this time and the death is likely to be transmitted to the coroner for investigation.

It is understood that CPR was performed on the child.

If confirmed, it will be the second suspected drowning in Northland this month.

Roxi Ansari, a native of South Carolina, is believed to have drowned in a whirlpool in Whangārei on October 7 due to a medical episode. Since then it has emerged that the 35-year-old worker suffered from an undiagnosed brain tumor.

Sixteen people died in Northland waters last year, double the eight in 2018, and many more risked their lives.

Northland has 3,200 km of coastline and ports, and no part of the region is more than 40 km from the coast.

There are also 10 ports in the mix, making Northland a high-risk area for those trying to keep people safe in and out of the water.