Elton John ‘heartbroken’ after concert in Auckland cancelled

British musician Elton John has shared his first statement after the organizers cancelled his scheduled concert in Auckland on Friday following torrential rains and flash floods.

A state of emergency was declared in New Zealand's biggest city as torrential rains caused widespread flooding and evacuations, closing the city's airports.

Elton John's concert in the city, which was expected to be attended by about 40,000 people, was also cancelled.

"Given the weather, tonight's show has been cancelled. Our operations team is working to redirect special event buses to help get people back home," Auckland Transport said in a statement on Twitter.

Taking to Instagram, Elton said, “I'm absolutely heartbroken that tonight's show in Auckland couldn't go ahead.”

“I was at the venue and determined to play as the weather reports we received in advance weren't fully conclusive. Ultimately, we had to follow the local emergency services' decision to cancel. The safety of my fans, our team, and staff at Mt Smart Stadium is of the utmost importance.

“My heart goes out to those of you who made it into the stadium only to have to leave again and I truly share your frustration and disappointment. I never want to let my fans down and deeply love it each and every time I have the honour of playing for you in New Zealand.”

He further said, “We're monitoring the situation closely with local authorities and will let ticket buyers of tomorrow night's show know as soon as humanly possible of any changes.”