Entire New Zealand drowned in flood water.
State of emergency declared in Auckland.
School students exploring caves also missing.
Wellington: New Zealand’s largest city is flooded again. School children exploring caves in the town of Whangarei have gone missing in floodwaters. After which the authorities in Auckland have declared a state of emergency (Emergency In New Zealand) on Tuesday. Fire and emergency crews said they have responded to calls for more than 200 trapped people, most of whom are in Auckland. It comes just weeks after rain and flooding left four people dead and parts of Auckland’s main airport inundated, according to the BBC.
According to the report of the news agency AP, rescuers are searching for the missing students in a cave filled with flood water in the north of the city. On Tuesday, heavy rain flooded basements, stranded cars, uprooted trees and disrupted train services. The same region had received record rainfall in January and Cyclone Gabrielle came a month later. 11 people had died due to cyclone Gabrielle. Torrential rain is expected to continue till Wednesday evening local time.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was a difficult time for the country. He told reporters, ‘We know it is difficult. But I request you guys to keep yourself safe. Officials said heavy rain was expected to continue till midnight, though they expected the heaviest rains had already occurred. Some train and bus services were canceled and authorities urged people to avoid unnecessary travel. On the missing students, Hipkins said, ‘They are still seeking more information about what happened to the student. He has promised all possible help.
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