A state of emergency has been declared in New Zealand after a severe downpour of rain swept away a bridge on the country's South Island.
The town of Franz Josef was hit the hardest by Tuesday's storm and saw its main bridge destroyed by a torrent of flood water.
Some parts of the island have been battered with almost 11-hundred millimeters of rain over the past 48 hours, the highest amount observed in New Zealand.
The storm flooded dozens of houses and businesses and about 300 kilometers of highway have been closed.
