Waitemata Police investigating the deaths of 4 young men at Muriwai Beach last night are asking for any witnesses to contact them.

Enquiries to identify the victims, locate and advise their next of kin continued throughout the night.

The four men are aged 31, 31, 27 and 26 .  Some have relatives overseas who are yet to be advised. Police anticipate the names will be able to be released either later today or tomorrow morning.

Police and Victim Support are assisting the families.

The 2001 Mitsubishi Pajero was towed from the water by a tractor last night and taken to a secure facility. Officers from the Waitemata Police Serious Crash Unit will spend much of today examining the vehicle.

At this stage it’s not known who was driving the vehicle when it crashed.

Police have spoken to a small number of witnesses but would like to hear from anyone else who saw the brown and silver-coloured 4 x 4 on the beach yesterday afternoon.

“Based on witness information, we believe the car was travelling at speed along the water’s edge. It’s either struck an object or has hit sand. The vehicle has then flipped and rolled several times. All four occupants were thrown from the vehicle” says Inspector Trevor Beggs, Road Policing Manager, Waitemata Police.

 “At this stage we have been able to determine that seatbelts were fitted to the car. The fact that the occupants have all been ejected from the vehicle would suggest that they may not have been wearing seatbelts, but this will be confirmed once the car has been examined” says Inspector Beggs.

Last night’s emergency response was a challenging and upsetting situation for everyone involved. Police would like to thank those who assisted at the scene. Some provided first aid to the victims and others helped Police by picking up the debris from the scene before it could be washed away by the tide.

“We are working with local Iwi to co-ordinate a site blessing and this should take place in the next few days. Once we have the details confirmed we’ll let everyone know” he says.

“Above anything else, our thoughts today are with the families of these young men. They have just been given news that will no doubt impact many lives forever. No-one who sets out with their friends on a Sunday afternoon expects that it will end in such a tragic loss of life” he says.

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