A state of emergency was declared on Friday in Auckland, New Zealand's most populous city, which flooded after torrential rains led to the closure of the airport and the cancellation of an Elton concert John.
During a press conference on Friday evening, the mayor of this large city on the North Island, Wayne Brown, who is due to tour the most affected neighborhoods on Saturday, said he was "very saddened" by the discovery of a body in a suburb.
Police, however, have not confirmed that the death was weather-related.
Bad weather turned city streets into rivers and Auckland Airport, the country's biggest airport, where water was ankle-high in some terminals, announced it would remain closed until Saturday midday .
Out of concern for public safety, a concert by British pop star Elton John, scheduled at an Auckland stadium, has been cancelled.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who took over from Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday, tweeted that government departments were "working hard" to provide assistance to the city and coordinate emergency response.
The population was encouraged to contact the emergency services, overwhelmed with calls, only in the event of "danger of death" and to stay at home.
