The Queensland floods in Australia, the latest on the Pike River mine disaster, earthquakes on the East Coast of the North Island and the saga of the Wellington man Colin Smithies found in Hawke's Bay are the most popular stories online in New Zealand on Friday at 9am.
The Google News New Zealand lead story is from Radio New Zealand and has the headline "Search for "missing" diver cost about $50,000." The story says police say the search for a diver who was reported missing at Titahi Bay in Porirua, then later turned up in Hawke's Bay, is likely to have cost as much as $50,000. In other top news it carries a cluster of stories about the Queensland flooding and it also features a Hawke's Bay Today story about the earthquakes in Gisborne and Hawke's Bay this morning. The most popular story is a TVNZ story from three days ago which says Two days of searching have so far failed to turn up the diver missing off Wellington's Titahi Bay. Colin Smithies has since been found alive.
The nzherald.co.nz lead headline online says "River creeps closer to top of flood levees." The web site says officials are keeping a close watch on flood levees protecting a town bordering Queensland and New South Wales as water levels creep closer to their 11 metre limit. It says the water is starting to recede in Queensland but the body count continues to rise in the devastated Lockyer Valley region where dozens of people remain missing. And it says Police Commissioner Howard Broad said the West Coast mine would be handed back to the receivers of the Pike River Coal company, PricewaterhouseCoopers. And the most popular story says Police Commissioner Howard Broad has announced police are all but giving up hope of recovering the remains of the 29 lost Pike River miners.
The Stuff.co.nz top headline says "Queensland floods: 'Tough breed' refuse to panic." The web site says flood levees protecting the Queensland border town of Goondiwindi are being severely tested as the Macintyre River peaks to a record level - less than 15 centimetres from the top of the levees. The web site says the North Island's East Coast was shaken by two significant earthquakes this morning, with residents saying they could hear one of the quakes coming. And the web site fate of the Pike River Coal mine now rests with the company's receiver after police abandoned efforts to recover the 29 workers' bodies. And the most popular story says the Wellington diver who resurfaced almost 300 kilometres from where he disappeared is being investigated by police for an unrelated incident.
The One News lead headline says "Live updates: Queensland flooding." The web site says in the most popular story houses and businesses in more than 60 Brisbane suburbs have been inundated with water, mud and silt. Brisbane MP Teresa Gambaro says the worst thing is the terrible smell from sodden carpets, sewage-contaminated water and other water-logged debris. In other news it says the Wellington diver who mysteriously turned up hundreds of kilometres away from where he disappeared is reportedly being investigated over another unrelated incident. And it says Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn says families of the Pike River Coal mine victims have been "left in limbo" with police ceasing efforts to retrieve the men's bodies.
The 3 News top story online has the headline "Brisbane: Flood recedes, reveals extent of damage." It says residents began a long wait Thursday for floodwaters to subside and reveal the extent of devastation to Australia's third-largest city, while upstream soldiers picked their way through the debris of washed-away towns looking for more victims from one of the country's worst natural disasters. The web site says Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn says families of the Pike River Coal mine victims have been "left in limbo" with police ceasing efforts to retrieve the men's bodies. And it says the Wellington diver who mysteriously turned up hundreds of kilometres away from where he disappeared is reportedly being investigated over another unrelated incident. And the most popular story says a computer animation made by an Australian geospatial specialist has predicted the possible extent of flooding in Brisbane.
The Radio New Zealand lead headline online says "Pike River decision up to company and receivers - Commissioner." The web site says Police Commissioner Howard Broad says the responsibility to decide whether it will be safe to re-enter the Pike River coal mine must lie with the company and its receivers. It says Goondiwindi, in south-west Queensland, is the latest town in the state to be threatened by flooding. And it says the Brisbane River has fallen to just above three metres and is continuing to subside.
The Newstalk ZB lead headline says "Pike River could be safe one day." The web site says Police believe that the Pike River Coal Mine could be safe to enter one day after a series of explosions last year killed 29 miners. It says good news for exporters as their commodity prices continue to rise and are now at a record 30 year high. And the web site says residents in Brisbane have been told recovering from the floods could take months or even years as the Queensland capital begins counting the cost.
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