-
Source: ONE News -
Watch Video
-
Related
The army has spent Sunday night rescuing more than 300 motorists stranded in up to half a metre of snow along the Napier Taupo Highway.
Dennis Morgan from the Civil Defence says there are still a number of people in their cars, but that they are being brought to safety.
Four wheel drive vehicles are continuing to rescue passengers from vehicles, ferrying them to the Rangitaiki Tavern, from where they are been bussed to the Taupo welfare centre.
And snow-ploughs and graders are working in the area to free the trapped vehicles.
A Civil Defence emergency was declared after the snowstorm
trapped 200 vehicles along the highway.
Police and the army launched a rescue operation to evacuate people
from their cars, many of them were ferried by Civil Defence to
spend the night at a motel at Eskdale.
Some phone lines in the area are down and cell phone coverage is
impeded by the weather, making communication difficult.
Hastings Civil Defence spokesman Dennis Morgan says people who have been evacuated from their vehicle on the Napier side will be meeting on Monday morning. He says they will then be bussed to their vehicles.
More road snowfall warnings are in place for Monday, with up to 20cm expected to fall on the Desert road in the central North Island.
Road closures
The heavy snowfall has closed a number of roads in the central North Island.
State highway 1 is closed from Turangi to Taihape, State Highway 5 is closed from Taupo to Napier.
There are closures on State Highway 38 in the Urewera National Park and Frasertown.
And State Highway 49 is also closed from Tohunga junction on State Highway 4 across to Waiouru.
Taupo District Council has set up a free phone number, 0800 ASK
TDC (0800 275 832), for concerned families to check on anyone not
accounted for.
Latest NZ News Video
-
NZ scores part in telescope project (1:56)
-
Rena class action lawsuit growing (2:20)
-
Thousands rally to save Cathedral (2:00)
