Storm kills four in New Zealand
Post created on 10:51 am
Wild storms lashed New Zealand’s North Island Monday after a chartered fishing boat went down off the remote Northland coast late Sunday, claiming at least four lives.
Four bodies were recovered and another person was missing when a fishing vessel sank causing chaos in the country’s biggest city Auckland, officials said.
Military has sent two air force planes and a naval warship to help with the search.
The storm front moved south and hit Auckland early Monday, dumping 76.8 mm (3.0 inches) of rain on the city in a single hour, the same amount it usually averages in a month at this time of year, according to the official MetService weather forecaster.
As a result highways were closed due to flooding, schools shut after classrooms were inundated and ferry services were suspended amid heavy swells.
MetService said a cluster of thunderstorms was heading south before shifting direction and moving out to sea.