Hundreds of people have been evacuated from severe flooding in New Zealand.
Authorities declared a state of emergency in three regions of New Zealand's South Island on Wednesday after a tropical storm with heavy rainfall caused flooding in several rivers.
Important road connections were interrupted because of fallen trees.
In the city of Nelson on the South Island's west coast alone, 233 homes had to be evacuated after a month's worth of rain fell in just 15 hours.
The Maitai River became a torrent, flooding houses and streets.
Mayor Rachel Reese spoke of an "event of the century".
Rescue teams and soldiers were deployed.
Heavy rains and storms also hit the North Island;
three people were injured in a road accident after a tree fell on an expressway.
The country's largest insurance company, IAG, called for an end to construction in an area threatened by flooding.
According to statistics, one percent of New Zealand's dwellings, 20,000 dwellings, are in such areas.
Climate change is leading to more and more violent storms around the world.