WELLINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - Ten teenagers are missing after being swept away in a raging river in New Zealand as violent storms caused widespread flooding in the country's North Island, local media and police said.

The students were taking part in an activity with the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre when they got into trouble at the Mangatepopo Gorge, said police.

The New Zealand Herald newspaper said the students were swept down the Mangatepopo River, which winds through a rugged and sparsely populated area near a national park.

"At this stage a search is being conducted to locate these youths," said Taumarunui Police Inspector Steve Mastrovich.

"A helicopter swept the river before dark and another machine with night vision capability is en route. The weather is poor and this is hampering the search," he said in a statement.

Rescue teams on foot were also searching for the students.

During the storm that hit the North Island, a lightning strike killed a rider and his horse and injured five other riders on a hunting trip.

"It was the most bizarre weather patterns, forked lightning, the lot and that is when the gentleman was struck and killed and so was his horse," said Northland Hunt spokeswoman Donna Austin. (Reporting by Adrian Bathgate; Editing by Michael Perry and Alex Richardson)

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