A frantic overnight search is underway for up to nine tourists missing, including “at least one young girl,” after a devastating landslide struck a popular campsite.
New Zealand’s North Island was battered by a series of landslides on Thursday, triggered by unprecedented rainfall over several days.
Tragically, two fatalities were reported when a landslip destroyed a home in Welcome Bay, located in the Bay of Plenty region, roughly 100 kilometers east of Hamilton, around 4:50 a.m. (NZDT).
The situation worsened when a subsequent landslide struck campervans and a shower block at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park just hours later at 9:30 a.m.
The holiday park has been evacuated, and authorities have urged the public to steer clear of the area as emergency teams continue the search for those feared trapped.
On-site search teams have reported no signs of life at the campsite, and emergency management minister Mark Mitchell confirmed that “at least one young girl” is among the missing individuals.
Police Superintendent Tim Anderson added the number of people missing was in the ‘single figures’, meaning up to nine people could be trapped in the debris.
Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Hato Hone St John and local security confirmed they will continue working through the night.
A landslide hit Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park at 9.30am on Thursday
Up to nine tourists are understood to be missing in the landslide
Rescuers said there was no signs of life at the scene
‘We’re going right through until we’ve rescued everyone,’ Fire and Emergency NZ commander William Park told reporters.
‘It was a significant landslip and the priority was life safety. It’s a complex and high-risk environment.’
Supt Anderson has not confirmed if anyone has been found.
‘The Fire and Emergency teams are working around the clock to achieve their aim tonight,’ he said.
‘There are at least three diggers working at the moment and all the usual agencies are working hard to do their best.’
Mitchell earlier described the east coast as ‘a war zone’ with helicopters deployed to rescue families stranded on rooftops from flooding and emergencies declared in five regions.
Australian Sonny Worrall from Newcastle, NSW, was among dozens of holidaymakers caught up in the chaos.
He was swimming in the nearby hot pools when he heard a tree crack.
Members of the public have been blocked from entering the holiday park
Authorities said the search mission will continue through the night
‘I looked behind me, and there was a huge landslide coming down,’ he told TVNZ.
‘I turned around, and I had to jump out from my seat as fast as I could and just run. Looking behind me, there was a caravan coming right behind me.
‘It all happened in a flash. I was fearing for my life. People were panicking everywhere.’
Mark Tangney was among the first rescuers on scene after he heard screams and saw holidaymakers fleeing the campground.
‘There were six or eight other guys there on the roof of the toilet block with tools just trying to take the roof off because we could hear people screaming ‘help us, help us, get us out of here’,’ Mr Tangney told the NZ Herald.
‘We went hard for about half an hour, and after 15 minutes, the people that were trapped, we couldn’t hear them anymore.’
Roadblocks have been erected around affected areas to keep the general public out of the area.
It’s understood loved ones of the missing are waiting for updates in a gazebo closer to the scene.
Loved ones of the missing tourists are staying in a gazebo close to the scene
Rescuers are working in hazardous conditions, due to the unstable nature of the landslide
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the conditions searchers were working in were very unstable.
‘They’re having to be careful because we don’t want to have any other issues during the night,’ he said.
‘They’re going to be working 24/7 until they have searched every piece of earth.’
Tauranga – the closest city to Mount Maunganui – received 295mm in the 30 hours to 6am Thursday.
Huge swathes of the North Island were smashed by torrential rain on Wednesday, with meteorologists MetService issuing a rare red weather warning for a ‘threat to life’ in several regions and a state of local emergency.
In Warkworth near Auckland, a 47-year-old man was swept away in his car by the swollen Mahurangi River.
His wife said he was travelling with his nephew and had managed to push the boy towards a branch, allowing him to escape the water.
However, the man was unable to save himself.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon promised to help those affected by the widespread floods and landslides
Several emergency agencies will continue searching for the missing victims through to the morning
His wife is holding onto the hope his strong swimming skills, from being a fisherman, will be enough to ensure his survival.
‘I know his personality is strong, wise,’ she told RNZ.
Rescue efforts are still underway for those trapped on their roofs by water in the Tairawhiti region, specifically in Te Araroa, about 290km east of the landslides.
Thousands more people in Northland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, and Tairawhiti were also left without power after the storm and flooding.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon promised his government would do everything possible to support those affected.
‘To the emergency responders, Defence Force personnel, and all those who are putting themselves in harm’s way to keep Kiwis safe, the whole country is grateful,’ he wrote online.
‘We continue to urge people in affected areas to follow the advice of local authorities.’
He also added that the country is ‘heavy with grief’ after the ‘profound tragedy’ of the recent weather.
‘The weather events of the past 48 hours have been a profound tragedy, claiming lives and devastating livelihoods,’ Luxon wrote.
