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Territorials lose rifles in boat mishap

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Fri, 13 Jan 2012 2:40p.m.

Two Defence Force rifles now sit at the bottom of a Canterbury lake after a boat carrying Territorials capsized

Two Defence Force rifles now sit at the bottom of a Canterbury lake after a boat carrying Territorials capsized

Two Defence Force rifles are sitting at the bottom of a Canterbury lake after a boat carrying Territorials capsized.

The Reserve Force soldiers from Second Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast Battalion Group were conducting an exercise on Lake Coleridge last month when the accident happened.

The 5.56mm assault rifles, which have been in use since 1988, were lost in 40m-60m of water and police and navy dive teams deemed the rifles were unrecoverable, given the water depth and lake-bottom conditions, a Defence Force spokesman said.

"We are confident that there is minimal risk to public safety."

The Defence Force was investigating the accident but so far no fault has been found and it appeared to be a simple accident, he said.

NZN

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Comments

30 Jan 2012 12:48a.m.

Chase wrote:

yeeeaahhh bukster good luck with that. They're in 60m of water. If they could have been recovered they would have done it. They aren't exactly 'lying around'. Also, they'll be rusted beyond serviceable use by now, even if someone were to miraculously recover one by some means, you couldn't use it.

19 Jan 2012 08:48p.m.

bukster wrote:

So if I take my trawling magnet and get lucky, then I could get my mits on one of these beauties and nobody would know I had it. I think these rifles should be recovered if possible. They are not something to be left lying around.

15 Jan 2012 05:26p.m.

Michael Myers wrote:

Totally agree with you JD

13 Jan 2012 03:16p.m.

JD wrote:

I think the Defence Force should consider dumbing there entire stock of these out-dated 24 year old rifles into the lake and replace them with rifles suitable and up to task for today's modern warfare.