New Zealand: Hundreds of people brought to safety from floods

In New Zealand there are hundreds people been brought to safety from severe flooding. Authorities declared a state of emergency in three regions of New Zealand's South Island on Wednesday, after a tropical storm with heavy rains flood triggered in several rivers. Important road connections had been 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 traffic accident after a tree fell on an expressway.

The country's largest insurance company, IAG, has called for an end to construction in areas at risk of flooding. According to statistics, one percent of residential buildings in New Zealand are in such areas, which is equivalent to 20,000 residential buildings.

Researchers believe that climate change is partly responsible for the current extreme weather in New Zealand. Its exact influence on the events has not yet been analyzed, but climate change 'more than likely plays a role', quotes the ' New Zealand Herald' the geographer Daniel Kingston of the University of Otago.

At least 16 dead in China floods

According to media reports, at least 16 people have died in floods in north-west China life came. According to a state television report, 36 other people were missing after heavy rains on Thursday triggered landslides that disrupted the course of a river. Rescue workers were looking for survivors and other victims in mountainous areas in Qinghai province. In June, floods in southern China forced more than half a million people to flee their homes.

An extreme heat wave in the southwest of the country is currently causing power outages and temporary factory closures. It is the longest heat wave in China, according to the Chinese weather service China since the beginning of weather Records 1961. 64 days of continuous heat warnings have been recorded since June.