A body has been found in New Zealand caves where a teenager went missing on a school trip on Tuesday.
He was among a group of 17 who went to Abiquays despite widespread flooding in the Auckland region.
The group was initially trapped but 14 students and two teachers made it out safely. The boy, aged between 15 and 16, was missing.
New Zealand police said the body was found late Tuesday local time, but it has not been formally identified.
A state of emergency has been declared in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, after heavy rains stranded cars, uprooted trees and disrupted public transport.
But most of the roads that were closed earlier reopened on Wednesday and public transport was running.
Abbey Caves, a series of three underground caves on the Upper North Island, contain limestone outcrops and sink holes. The cave system is prone to flash floods.
“We recognize that this incident has been very disturbing for the school and the wider community, and that the public will have many questions,” Police Superintendent Tony Hill said in a statement Wednesday.
“Right now, the police are focused on helping the victims,” he said.
The incident has raised questions as to why the school trip went ahead despite warnings of heavy rain after the weather forecast.
The group is from Whangārei Boys’ High School. In a post on the school’s Facebook page on Wednesday, Principal Karen Gilbert-Smith wrote: “It’s really important for me to say how devastated we are that one of our family has lost a very dear, precious life. Son and brother.”
“The impact of this tragedy is being felt widely by our school staff, students and community.”
The Auckland region in New Zealand has been hit by several severe weather events so far this year.
From January to April, it receives 90% of its average total annual rainfall, with some areas receiving up to 35mm (1.3in) of rain in just one hour.
In February, Cyclone Gabriel ravaged New Zealand, killing 11 people and leading a path of destruction that Finance Minister Grant Robertson likened to the damage caused by the Christchurch earthquake 12 years ago.
