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Ashburton District Council/Stuff
Heavy rain has caused flooding across the Canterbury region on Sunday. (File photo)
A man was rescued from the roof of his car, after it got stuck in a flooded Canterbury river last night, amid continued heavy rain in the region.
The man had been on the roof of his car in the Hawkins River for some time when Fire and Emergency were called about 10.30pm, a spokesperson said.
Fire and Emergency crews from Darfield and Kirwee were sent to the rescue mission, as well as a swift waters team that came from Wigram in Christchurch.
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The team was a group of firefighters trained and with equipment to deal with situations in floodwaters.
They worked alongside police and St John to get the man off his vehicle, which was “disabled in the river”, the spokesperson said.
Police said when officers arrived at the scene they found the man standing on top of his vehicle. He was pulled out of the river around 12:30am, a spokesperson said.
Rain continued to fall in the region overnight, but it is expected to ease later this morning.
A welfare centre set up in Waimakariri was quiet overnight, while another in Lincoln closed last night as it wasn’t needed.
Meanwhile, the SH1 Ashburton River Bridge has reopened after it closed overnight due to a build up of flood debris, NZTA has confirmed.
However, State Highway 79 at Middle Valley and State Highway 85 at Palmerston to Kyeburn remain closed.
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