Ten teenagers are missing after being swept away in a raging river in New Zealand as violent storms caused widespread flooding in the country's North Island, local media and police said.
The students were among a group of 40 taking part in an activity with the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre when they got into trouble at the Mangatepopo Gorge, said police.
The students were swept down the Mangatepopo River, which winds through a rugged and sparsely populated area near a national park. It was not clear whether they were in a boat or crossing the river on foot.
During the storm that hit the North Island, a lightning strike killed a rider and his horse and injured five other riders on a hunting trip.
"It was the most bizarre weather patterns, forked lightning, the lot and that is when the gentleman was struck and killed and so was his horse," said Northland Hunt spokeswoman Donna Austin.