Tornado tears through New Zealand town

A tornado has carved through Greymouth in New Zealand, ripping roofs off houses, tearing down trees and cutting power lines.

The town's mayor Kevin Brown said the tornado roared through the town in just 30 seconds, leaving some properties looking like bomb-sites.

At least half a dozen families were forced from homes wrecked by the wind or flooded by burst water pipes.

One resident, Peter Fisher, said he had never seen anything like the power of the tornado in his 38 years in the town.

He commented: "I heard this one almighty roar. It was unbelievable. It's ripped the iron off the whole south side of the house. It pulled the chimney off the house. There's loose iron and timber everywhere."