At least three dead after record rain in Auckland, New Zealand: Ex-Vice Pence on classified documents: “Take full responsibility”

Authorities say at least three people have died after extreme rainfall in New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland. One person is still missing, police said on Saturday. New Zealand’s new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins flew to the North Island city on Saturday.

His top priority is to keep the metropolis’ 1.6 million residents safe, he said. Parts of Auckland International Airport, New Zealand’s largest, were also flooded. The airport announced that no international flight would depart until at least Sunday.

Authorities spoke of the “wettest day” since measurements began and declared a state of emergency. The city council warned on Saturday that it could continue to rain into the weekend.

Large parts of the metropolis were still under water on Saturday. The three dead were found independently of each other, according to the police. As a result, one of the victims found himself in a flooded parking garage. Another died when a landslide hit a house.

Huge water masses in a short time

The National Research Institute NIWA said that in some parts of the city, 80 percent of the rainfall otherwise measured throughout the summer fell within 15 hours. The suburbs of Kumeu and Albany were particularly hard hit.

The fire brigade was already in action on Friday with kayaks and jet skis to rescue people from their homes. (aeg/sda/dpa)