At least 11 people have died as Tropical Cyclone Gabriel hit New Zealand. On Sunday, February 19, the newspaper reported The New Zealand Herald.
Local services received more than 6,000 reports of missing persons. It is noted that law enforcement agencies continue to search for victims and victims of the disaster.
Also, the New Zealand police condemned the cases of looting in disaster areas, calling their actions “brutal”.
The storm hit the eastern part of the northern island of New Zealand on February 13, causing widespread destruction.
About 62,000 households were left without electricity. Many schools, kindergartens and universities are closed in the country. Also, part of the roads were damaged by landslides.
Some outlying New Zealand settlements were cut off from supply lines as a result of floods. Rescuers deliver food, water and essentials to those in need by helicopter.
The New Zealand government declared a state of emergency due to bad weather for the third time in its history. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins called Cyclone Gabriel one of New Zealand’s worst weather events of the 21st century.
Earlier that day, it became known that rescuers from Kyrgyzstan rescued three people from the rubble in Turkey after the strongest earthquake in the region. They were all members of the same family. Earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 occurred on February 6 in the province of Kahramanmarash in southeastern Turkey near the border with Syria.
According to the latest data, the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey is 40,642 people. It is also reported that 430,000 people have been evacuated from disaster areas.
