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Three people are dead,
and seven have been hospitalised
following this afternoon's West Auckland tornado.
Three people are confirmed dead
after a wall collapsed at a construction site,
and there are seven people confirmed injured.
There are a number of reports of damage to power cables,
trees and property,
and the fire service is inundated with calls.
There have also been reports of windows blown out of houses,
tiles flying off roof tops, and trees lying on roads.
Traffic on the North Western Motorway is heavy and slow.
Police are asking motorists to be wary of flash flooding,
and several roads have been closed.
We also have reports from Auckland Airport.
Full flights are sitting on the tarmac.
Passengers have been asked to stay inside
for fear of lightning strikes.
Shortly we'll bring you Irena Smith, live at the scene.
But first here's Raiha Johns with the latest.
The tornado in Hobsonville was a big shock for Maori in the area.
Cars were thrown, and roofs collapsed.
An employee at the Open Polytechnic
in Hobsonville feels for the victims.
The polytech buildings are close to where the victims died
when a limestone wall collapsed and fell on them.
Airplanes have been grounded in Auckland,
and none are being allowed to land.
Streets have been closed off until the weather settles.
MetService is warning people to stay vigilant during the storm.
Raiha Johns, Te Karere.
Our reporter Irena Smith joins us now from Hobsonville.
Irena, what can you tell us?
I'm currently on Hobsonville Rd,
which was the worst affected area in the storm.
Behind me is the construction site where we've just confirmed
that there are still two bodies lying here.
It looks like they are digging the dirt away
so that they can free the limestone walls to remove the bodies
still trapped under the building site.
On this side, there are many houses that have lost their roofs.
Emergency services are there, including police and fire-fighters,
assessing everyone and the safety of the buildings.
You mentioned the residents, Irena. How are they?
Well, there are many scared and frightened residents here.
I spoke to one mother and her child who were alone in their house.
They saw the tornado from her window.
She said there's nothing like it.
She said the fear grew because she didn't know what was happening.
She'd never witnessed that sort of thing before other than in movies.
But to see it in real life - what a fright that was.
But they are okay, along with their house.
The windows are all broken.
The kids' toys that were outside broke the windows
and are now inside.
It was a big shock for the people, but most of them are now coming out
to see what's happened to their street.
You mentioned the casualties
of the tornado that are still stuck at the building site.
What's the latest on those who were injured?
According to reports,
seven have been injured and four have been taken
to North Shore Hospital to have their injuries assessed.
But it seems as if the scale of the disaster
has yet to come to light.
We've heard that there are more injured,
but police and emergency services are on the case.
So, yes, currently, there are two confirmed deaths.
They are still here.
It's believed that there are three,
but the body of the third has yet to be found,
but, yes, at this stage,
it's believed that there are three dead.
Two are still trapped behind me here.
Thank you, Irena Smith,
live from Hobsonville, West Auckland.
To recap the main points -
the death toll has risen to three.
The deaths occurred
when concrete slabs fell on workers at a building site.
At least seven people are believed to be injured.
Four have been taken to North Shore Hospital.
Their injuries are still being assessed.
There's a plea from Auckland Police to stay off the road if you can.
Motorists caught in transit are being told to slow down,
use their headlights and increase following distances.