At least four dead in New Zealand after the passage of cyclone 'Gabrielle'

At least four people have died in New Zealand after the passage of cyclone 'Gabrielle' that has forced the evacuation of 10,500 people and has destroyed hundreds of infrastructure in the country.

The New Zealand Police have confirmed the death of the four people, detailing that one of the people is a minor, according to a statement.

The emergency services have recovered this Wednesday the lifeless body of a young man who would have been trapped by heavy rains during the previous day in the north of Hawke's Bay, in the east of the country, where two other people would have died, one of them when her house collapsed, the second has been found on the seashore.

On the other hand, they have found a volunteer firefighter who had been trapped by a landslide in the town of Muriwai, on the west coast of New Zealand.

The Police have added that there are several missing people, for which the authorities, who have conveyed their condolences to the families of the fatalities, have remarked that they have "serious concerns."

The New Zealand Emergencies Minister, Kieran McAnulty, has warned that the balance may increase in the coming hours because the emergency services continue to carry out rescues and searches in various places, reports the RNZ radio station.

"I want to make it very clear that it is not an expectation, it is a concern that I constantly have, we are talking about an unprecedented massive climatic phenomenon," said the head of the portfolio, referring to the number of deaths.

McAnulty has indicated that the cyclone has moved away from the country's coast, so "the worst of the storm is over", despite the fact that he has warned that they are "not yet" out of danger.

The Government of New Zealand declared a state of emergency at the national level on Tuesday due to the passage of cyclone 'Gabrielle' through the country, with the aim of "assisting in the response" to this "unprecedented meteorological phenomenon that is having significant repercussions ".

Thousands of people were evacuated this Monday in various locations on the Coromandel Peninsula, in the North Island of New Zealand, due to the floods caused by the arrival of cyclone 'Gabrielle', with no information on fatalities for the moment.