Police have confirmed that the death of a woman at a Rarotonga reef a week ago was due to cardiac arrest leading to drowning.

Police spokesperson Trevor Pitt confirmed this to Cook Islands News after receiving the medical certificate.

“The doctor’s report indicated cardiac arrest leading to drowning. The body was released for burial,” Pitt stated.

The deceased was a 62-year-old local woman, and mother, Pitt said.

Last week, the police explained and stressed that it was not confirmed whether the woman had drowned, but it was only reported that she passed away after swimming towards the reef.

Pitt then said: “We received a report that a female had died after going onto the reef. I won’t know any more until the Police receive a medical report from the hospital.”

This is the third drowning-related incident reported to police this year.

In late June this year, an 80-year-old British national, who was holidaying in Rarotonga with his wife, died while swimming in a Muri lagoon.

Police said the cause of death was “likely drowning with possible contribution of underlying medical conditions … contributed by possible underlying causes”.

In May, a 49-year-old New Zealand woman died in a water-related incident while holidaying in Rarotonga.

The woman was reportedly responsive at the incident site at Avaavaroa Passage, a popular tourist attraction for swimming with turtles, but was pronounced dead at hospital.