The man who died after an early morning swim in the Hutt River on December 27 was Rahmatulla Ramazani, 27, of Wellington, police said.

Ramazani had reportedly gone for a swim in the river near Waterworks Rd at the Kaitoke Regional Park in Upper Hutt.

Police were called after he failed to surface and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A blessing of the site was carried out and Ramazani’s death has been referred to the coroner.

Provisional figures showed 93 people drowned last year, the highest figure since 2008.