VIDEO: Heavy rains wreak havoc in New Zealand, hundreds stranded at airport, 2 killed

wellington, Rain has wreaked havoc in New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland. The AP news agency quoted police as saying two people had died and two others were missing due to record rainfall in New Zealand’s biggest city on Saturday. Authorities declared a state of emergency for the Auckland region and the country’s new prime minister, Chris Hipkins, flew into the city in a military plane to assess the damage. Suffice to say that after the resignation of Jacinda Ardern, Hipkins was sworn in on Wednesday to the highest position.

Hipkins said the rains quickly affected the city. He advised Aucklanders to be prepared for any situation given the possibility of more rain. Previously, hundreds of people were stranded at Auckland Airport overnight after all flights at the airport were suspended and parts of the terminal flooded.

Although Air New Zealand said it had resumed domestic flights to and from Auckland on Saturday afternoon, it was not yet sure when international flights would resume. February 27 was the wettest day on record in Auckland, according to weather agencies. On Friday evening, some places received more than 15 centimeters (6 inches) of rain in just three hours.

Meanwhile, police said they found the body of one person in a flooded culvert on Friday evening and the body of another person in a flooded park in the early hours of Saturday. Police said a third person was missing after being swept away by floodwaters, while a fourth person was missing after a landslide collapsed a house in the suburb of Remuera. The heavy rain can be gauged from a video, in which people are seen filled with water up to their chests.

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Tags: floods, heavy rain, New Zealand, world news