A truck driver's body has been recovered, well over a day after his cab plunged down steep terrain off the Otira Highway between Arthur's Pass and Greymouth.
The fully laden twin-trailer truck crashed on a steep and narrow section of the road early on Wednesday morning, falling 50 metres down a gorge and killing Piki Lewis Jones, 34, of Napier.
Police say a digger was brought in to clear a path, and rocks the size of small cars had to be moved to get to the wreckage.
Constable Brett Currie says the trailer unit was able to be lifted on Thursday afternoon, allowing firefighters to cut into the cab to remove Mr Jones's body.
