The death toll from Cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand rose to eight on Friday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said and he warned that the number was expected to increase as emergency crews make contact with hundreds of cut-off communities.
The cyclone, which hit New Zealand on the uppermost region of the North Island on Sunday before making its way down the east coast, cut off towns, washed away farms, bridges and livestock and inundated homes, stranding people on rooftops.
