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New ZealandAt least three dead in bad weather in Auckland
One person is still missing following torrential rains that hit Auckland, New Zealand’s rain-populated city.
Premier Chris Hipkins.
AFP
Torrential rains of unprecedented magnitude have left at least three dead and one missing in Auckland, New Zealand’s most populous city, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced on Saturday.
Friday’s floods killed “three people with one person still missing,” he told a press conference, adding that “the level (of damage) in some areas (was) considerable.” According to him, the city experienced Friday “its wettest day” on record. Police said two bodies were found in the northern suburbs and a third victim died in a landslide near central Auckland.
A fourth person swept away south of Auckland is still missing. The local airport, the largest in the country, partially reopened on Saturday following being temporarily closed. The domestic terminal is accessible once more but international flights should not resume until Sunday.
Only call the emergency services in case of “danger of life”
For security reasons, concerts by British pop star Elton John, scheduled at an Auckland stadium on Friday and Saturday, have been canceled. The water largely receded on Saturday followingnoon following turning streets into rivers the day before, but heavy rain is expected once more and Chris Hipkins urged people to stay indoors. It is the first major incident under the government of Mr Hipkins, who replaced resigning Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister said on Twitter that government services were “working hard” to help the city and coordinate the relief effort. The population was encouraged to contact the emergency services, overwhelmed with calls, only in the event of “danger of death”.
(AFP)
