Auckland tornado leaves three dead and causes 'utter devastation'
Powerful Auckland tornado leaves three dead, with trees toppled and roofs ripped off houses
A freak tornado hit Auckland yesterday, killing three people and causing "utter devastation" as wild weather ripped apart homes and caused flash flooding in New Zealand's largest city.
The storm, packing gusts of more than 110km/h, struck suburban Hobsonville in the afternoon, toppling trees, ripping roofs from houses and sending debris flying.
Civil Defence said three people died and seven were admitted to hospital, with two of the fatalities believed to have been caused by a concrete slab that landed on the cabin of a truck and the other by a falling tree. The tornado was the deadliest in New Zealand in more than 60 years.
About 150 homes were badly damaged, many rendered uninhabitable, forcing residents into temporary accommodation at a nearby air force base.
Suzanne McFadden said the storm roared through in "five minutes of utter devastation".
"It honestly looks like a bomb has gone off in the street," she told NewstalkZB.
"I saw it coming across the river, the air went very electric and the sky went black. And then the wind started to whistle."