State of emergency in New Zealand after motorway bridge over Waiho River is washed away by furious flash flooding

A motorway bridge over the Waiho River was washed away in a severe rain storm on Tuesday, prompting
the authorities to declare a state of emergency, and to close 300 km (186 miles) of road on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island.

Footage shown on local television and distributed on social media showed part of the Waiho Bridge, near the town of Franz Josef, breaking off in torrential river flooding and swaying loose in the rushing water, with the remaining sections soon collapsing. 

There were no reports of injuries. About 50 people, mostly tourists, were staying at a makeshift emergency centre in a local hall to see out the storm, media reported. 

The Meteorological Service of New Zealand said in a statement the storm was “a significant event even by West Coast standards.“

It added that the New Zealand Transport Agency was advising residents of the South Island’s west coast to avoid all but essential travel. 

The Waiho Bridge has been raised three times since 2002 after flooding left sediment that lifted the river’s floor. Well now it has been buried!