A man has drowned and another is in a serious condition in hospital following a fishing mishap in Bay of Plenty on Saturday.
Tauranga police say the incident happened in the estuary near Tye Park at Welcome Bay just before 2pm.
Police say when they arrived at the scene a 51-year-old man from Auckland was dead and ambulance staff were working on a 49-year-old man from Tauranga.
Senior Sergeant Eddie Lyttle says it appears that the men were trying to catch fish with a net and the wind and current may have been a factor in causing them to get into difficulty.
He says members of the public assisted in recovering the men from the water and performed CPR on the 49-year-old who is now in hospital in a serious condition.
Mr Lyttle says without their help the second man would have likely died.
He says the matter will be referred to the Coroner.
