Hijacked plane crashes in Auckland harbor

A light aircraft, hijacked by a pilot who threatened to crash it into New Zealand’s highest building in Auckland, has plunged into the city’s harbor, radio reports said on Saturday.

Radio New Zealand said the 328 meter (1,140 feet) Sky Tower was evacuated after threats were made by the pilot, who it said had stolen the plane from a local airport south of Auckland.

The tower sits on top of a large casino and hotel complex in the center of Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city.

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It was not immediately clear how many people were aboard the plane and what their condition was. Police boats were moving toward the spot where the plane went down.

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Police were unavailable for comment and there were no further details.

The leaders of the two main political parties -- Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark and National’s Don Brash -- were both in the city awaiting the outcome of the general election.