WELLINGTON – Another wave of severe weather has hit southern New Zealand and caused athletes in an ongoing seven-day ultramarathon to be trapped, as North Island residents are cleaning up the mud left by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Six athletes have been airlifted to the Queenstown Lakes Hospital after 110 athletes were trapped by severe storms and flooding near Arrowtown in New Zealand’s South Island, local media reported on Wednesday.

The athletes had symptoms of mild hypothermia after being rescued from rising flood waters and were in a stable condition in the hospital, organisers said.

Several athletes were evacuated by helicopter, and another 90 people remained in the area on Wednesday to prepare for the resumption of the ultramarathon event on Thursday.

The Southern Lakes Ultra, a 250km annual race, began last Friday and will last for a week.

MetService, New Zealand’s weather forecast agency, issued a heavy-rain warning for the Otago region on Wednesday.

Cyclone Gabrielle, which lashed the North Island over the past week, left 11 people dead, and led to widespread power outages, flight cancellations and school closures. XINHUA