New Zealand authorities have reported that the storm has damaged a major road around Haast, 426km northwest of Dunedin, leaving hundreds of tourists stranded in the town.
Hundreds of tourists in New Zealand were left stranded on Friday after a storm battered the country, leaving damaged roads, uprooted trees and felled power lines in its wake.
This week, former Tropical Cyclone Fehi saw heavy rains flooding the southern city of Dunedin and west coast town of Buller, forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency and urge people not to travel by road, reported Reuters.
New Zealand authorities have reported that the storm has damaged a major road around Haast, 426km northwest of Dunedin, leaving hundreds of tourists stranded in the town.
“There are at least 600 tourists in Haast and we are undertaking a welfare assessment of their needs,” Westland District Council said in an emailed statement.
While work to repair the damage was underway, authorities were unable to say when the tourists would be able to see the small costal town.
New Zealand’s weather forecaster Metservice said on Friday the storm was moving southeast, providing some relief to the country’s west coast, which has been hardest hit by the heavy rain and strong winds.