Nigel Marple / Reuters
Rescue workers inspect the scene where at least two men are believed to be dead inside a truck (C) at a building site in the suburb of Hobsonville after a reported tornado went through in Auckland Dec. 6.
By NBC News staff
Updated at 11:25 p.m. ET: Three people were killed and several injured Thursday when high winds -- possibly from a tornado -- struck in the outskirts of Auckland, New Zealand, police officials told New Zealand media.
Two deaths occurred in the northwestern suburb of Hobsonville when a concrete slab fell on a truck, the New Zealand Herald reported on its website, citing a fire services spokesman. But Radio New Zealand said the truck had been carrying the slab. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the reports. Giant concrete blocks were reported toppled at a school construction site, possibly trapping workers beneath, the Herald reported.
The Herald reported that there was a third death but did not say where or how it occurred.
Trees were felled, chimneys collapsed and roofs were blown off in Hobsonville and the Upper Harbour areas, the Herald reported.
Witnesses described a tornado, but a MetService spokesman told the Herald that that had not been confirmed.
Photoblog: Storm slams New Zealand
Staff at Auckland Airport have been withdrawn from the tarmac, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Military personnel were going from door to door in the area to check if more people were trapped and authorities warned of more severe weather to come later on Thursday.
New Zealand has been hit by several natural disasters in recent years, including a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck the southern city of Christchurch in 2011, killing 185 people. Another tornado in Auckland last May killed one person.
The Christchurch quake caused damage worth NZ$15 billion to insurers, making it the country's costliest natural disaster.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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