Per a statement issued Wednesday morning local time by police superintendent Tony Hill, a Northland District Commander, rescue workers searching for a high school student who vanished after a school trip in a flooded cave system on New Zealand’s North Island have discovered a body.
Although the body has not yet been formally identified, authorities have finished their search and are providing assistance to the family of the missing student.
Tuesday morning, police initially learned that several high school kids were having trouble at the Abbey Caves in Whangrei, which is around 180 kilometres (112 miles) north of Auckland.
Of the 15 students and two adults in the group, all but one made it out of the cave safely, police said in a statement posted to Facebook.
An initial search failed to find the boy and officials suspended the search around 5 p.m. Tuesday when night fell.
Police said the body was recovered late Tuesday evening, and was made possible by specialist equipment brought in from Auckland which allowed the search to continue longer.
“We acknowledge this event has been very distressing for the school and wider community, and that there are a number of questions the public will have. At the moment, Police’s focus is on supporting those affected, and we remind people to please not make assumptions as to what has occurred,” the police statement read.
The year 11 students from Whangārei Boys High School (WBHS) were caving as part of an outdoor education class when they “encountered a severe weather event,” the school said in a statement.
“In time we will seek to understand how this situation occurred, but for now I ask that we stay united as a WBHS community and provide support where required,” the statement added.
The school said it would open as normal on Wednesday to “maintain a sense of routine” for students and staff.
According to the Whangārei District Council’s website, the Abbey Caves are prone to flash flooding and visitors are warned to check the weather forecast before setting out.
Auckland declared a local state of emergency on Tuesday after a torrential downpour.
The heaviest rainfall occurred on Tuesday between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. local time with rates exceeding 30 millimeters (1.2 inches) per hour.
Auckland was forecast to receive 73.5 millimeters (2.9 inches) of rain by the end of Tuesday, more than half the 120 millimeters (4.7 inches) the city historically receives on average for the month of May.
This is the third significant weather event to hit Auckland since the start of the year.
In February, Cyclone Gabrielle lashed Auckland with relentless wind, rain and waves that killed at least eight people and prompted authorities to order a nationwide state of emergency. And the month before, the city and its surrounding areas were hit by record rainfall that sparked deadly floods.