Kathrine Frich
Emergency crews are racing against time as conditions remain dangerous.
Severe weather has triggered deadly landslides in New Zealand’s North Island, leaving communities shaken and families waiting for news.
Authorities say the situation is still evolving, with several people unaccounted for.
Early morning disaster
Two people were confirmed dead after a landslide struck a home in the Welcome Bay area of Papamoa shortly before dawn.
Officials said the slide hit at about 4:50am following intense rainfall.
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell said two people managed to escape the house.
The bodies of two others trapped inside were recovered several hours later.
Heavy rain has battered large parts of the North Island, prompting warnings from authorities about unstable ground and flooding.
Second slide hits campground
Hours after the first incident, emergency services were called to a second landslide near Mount Maunganui.
Debris swept into a beachside holiday park, crushing cars, travel trailers and an amenities building.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand commander William Pike said voices were heard from beneath the rubble when crews arrived.
“Members of the public … tried to get into the rubble and did hear some voices,” Pike told reporters.
“Our initial fire crew arrived and were able to hear the same. Shortly after our initial crew arrived, we withdrew everyone from the site due to possible movement and slip.”
Search under threat
Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said the number of people missing at the Mount Maunganui site was in the “single figures.”
Rescue dogs have been deployed, but no survivors or additional bodies had been recovered by late Thursday, according to Mitchell.
“There was a shower block and a, sort of, combined shower block-kitchen block and there were people using that at the time the slide came through and they are some of the ones that we’re working hard to try and recover now,” Mitchell told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
One more person is missing near Warkworth, further north, after being swept from a road by floodwaters earlier this week, police said.
Warnings continue
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urged residents to follow official advice as extreme weather persists.
“Extreme weather continues to cause dangerous conditions across the North Island. Right now, the government is doing everything we can to support those impacted,” he said.
Mitchell said authorities were reviewing security camera footage to determine how many people were at the campground before the landslide.
He warned the rescue effort remains difficult, saying crews face the risk of further slides.
Sources: Associated Press, Mirror, New Zealand Police
