Teen Logan Ken Hughes drowns trying to rescue girl from Waikato River

A teenager drowned after bravely trying to rescue a girl who got into trouble in the Waikato River.

Police say 18-year-old Logan Ken Hughes of Taihape tried to save the life of a 12-year-old girl from the Waikato River on Friday, December 18, however he got into trouble in the water himself.

Another person jumped out and helped the girl to safety, police say.

“Later, in difficult conditions, several rescuers worked tremendously hard to rescue the 18-year-old from about 7 meters deep,” police said.

“He underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 40 minutes and the medical staff did everything possible to save him, but he died in hospital. It is terrible news for the family of the deceased young man,” they said.

“The rescue attempt was an instinctive display of humanity. We send our condolences to his relatives.”

Whanganui Rugby Club has paid tribute to Hughes on their Facebook page. “Logan was a promising rugby player and a great athlete in every respect. He will be sadly missed by many,” the message read.

Palmerston North Boys’ High School College House has also expressed sadness over his death. Hughes was a guest between 2015 and 2018.

“Our love and our thoughts are with the Hughes family,” said a post on Facebook.

Palmerston North Boys’ High School principal David Bovey said Hughes was a polite and respectful young man who was truly outgoing and that his death had left the school in shock.

Hughes left school at the end of year 12 to start an apprenticeship, but some of the younger interns and teammates had only finished school this year.

Bovey said that he loved his rugby above all else and that he would rather be on the field than in the classroom.

Bovey said his death had shocked the school and that some of his former teammates had gathered earlier in the week at one of the children’s homes to remember.

“He got along with a lot of guys in his year group and I know a lot of them have gotten together to talk about going to the funeral tomorrow.”

He also planned to attend the funeral.

Logan’s funeral will be held on Wednesday, December 23 at St. Mary’s Church in Taihape.

Senior Sheriff Barry Shepherd warns people about the dangers of swimming in the fast-flowing river.

His warning comes after a second incident earlier in the week when a group of swimmers had trouble swimming from the Taupō Control Gates Bridge also in the Waikato River.

The group split up and one of them was mistakenly thought to have gotten into trouble.

A full-scale search was carried out with a helicopter, but due to a lack of communication, the person was later discovered in a house.

“These incidents also have a profound impact on bystanders in the area, as well as the first responders who attend,” Shepherd said.

“We don’t want to prevent anyone from having fun, but we want people to pause and consider: If you’re getting into the water, are you sure you’re going out?”

Shepherd said that while it was a beautiful river and a perfect place to cool off this summer, there were dangers and people needed to pay attention to the signs posted by the river.