Auckland, Feb 16 NZPA - Two of the six Auckland students who died with their teacher in a canyoning tragedy were not strong swimmers, an inquest was told today.

Hastings coroner Christopher Devonport is holding an inquest in Auckland Coroners Court into the deaths of Elim Christian College students Natasha Bray, Portia McPhail, Tara Gregory, Tom Hsu, Anthony Mulder and Floyd Fernandes and teacher Tony McClean in the Mangatepopo Gorge near Turangi as part of an outdoor adventure course on April 15, 2008.

Jodie Patricia Sullivan, who was instructor at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre (OPC) and led the group on their expedition, continued giving evidence at the second day of the inquest today.

She had told the court yesterday how she underestimated how fast the river rose in the afternoon as a storm closed in.

Asked today whether there were people in the group who were not strong swimmers, Ms Sullivan agreed but said she was close enough to catch people.

For the Crown, Ben Vanderkolk asked Ms Sullivan if the students knew what the risks were and what would happen to them.

"They knew that jumping into the water was a risk," she said.

"It was an emergency response for which you had not been trained?", Mr Vanderkolk asked.

"Yes", she said.

A tearful Ms Sullivan asked for an adjournment as she could not go on.

She had broken down yesterday and her lawyer instead read the rest of her statement.

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