Rescuers search for survivors after landslide at New Zealand campsite

As heavy rains pour nearly the entire eastern seaboard of New Zealand cause the evacuation of homes and closed roads, with rescue workers searching for several missing people, including children, in the wake of the country’s North Island’s recent landslides.

At around 9:30 am local time (20:30 GMT, Wednesday) a landslide hit Mount Maunganui holiday park in North Island, leaving several people without information on Thursday afternoon.

The popular tourist destination’s campervans and shower block were destroyed during the final week of the summer school holidays, according to Radio New Zealand.

According to police, a house in neighboring Papamoa was struck by a landslide, and two people were also missing. A 47-year-old man was missing after attempting to cross the Mahurangi River north of Auckland and crashing into floodwaters, according to Radio New Zealand.

Officials who were giving reporters a briefing on the ongoing rescue efforts at Mount Maunganui said they still wanted to find survivors but that the possibility of more landslides had hampered operations.

Superintendent Tim Anderson, the police district commander, stated that “it is possible that we could find someone alive.” He would only add that “it is in the single figures” and that he would not comment on the number of people missing.

First responders reported seeing signs of life in the rubble, but Fire and Emergency Commander William Park withdrew because there were concerns about further ground movement.

Members of the public, according to what I understand, tried to enter the rubble and did so with some voices. The initial fire crew heard the same thing when they arrived. Due to the possibility of the slip moving, we withdrew everyone from the site shortly after our initial crew arrived, according to Park.

Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell claimed that some of the missing were children.

On X, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon claimed to be “actively monitoring situations throughout the country,” including those involving Mount Maunganui.

Extreme rainfall and other disasters are becoming more frequent as a result of climate change, which is brought on by fossil fuels and other pollutants, which has caused unheard of flooding in areas all over the world.