Cyclone death toll in New Zealand rises to nine as recovery continues

FILE PHOTO: General view of the area where a landslide occurred due to flooding, in Auckland, New Zealand, January 30, 2023 in this screen grab obtained from video. Newshub/via Reuters TV/Handout via REUTERS

SYDNEY (Reuters) -The death toll from Cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand rose to nine on Saturday as the clean-up continued on the battered North Island and authorities worked to find missing people.

The cyclone hit the uppermost region of the North Island on Sunday and tracked down the east coast, causing widespread devastation.