WELLINGTON (REUTERS) - Flash floods and incessant torrential rains in New Zealand's South Island have left several hundred tourists stranded for days and forced many residents to evacuate their homes, authorities said on Wednesday (Feb 5).

Rivers are overflowing and power supply has been cut to thousands of residents in the Southland region, as civil defence declared a state of emergency in the area and asked people in low-lying areas to evacuate immediately.

Earlier this week, rescue teams airlifted some of the nearly 500 stranded tourists in the remote Milford Sound region after torrential rains cut road access to the popular tourist destination.