Rescue teams meticulously searched through the debris at a camping site in New Zealand on Thursday, seeking the missing individuals, including children, following a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall. The intense rain affected most of the eastern coast of the North Island, leading to power outages and significant damage.
In the aftermath of the landslide at Mount Maunganui, a popular tourist destination, homes were evacuated, and roads were shut down. Emergency services, facing a challenging and hazardous environment, announced plans to use heavy machinery to clear the rubble layer by layer throughout the night to locate the missing persons.
Police Superintendent Tim Anderson stated that the number of missing individuals is in single digits, expressing hope that survivors may still be found. Helicopters and search dogs were deployed in the search operation, while reports indicated that around 8,000 people remain without electricity, a decrease from the initial 16,000. Fortunately, no fatalities have been confirmed yet.
Canadian witness Dion Siluch described the frightening experience of the landslide while receiving a massage nearby. He recounted the intense shaking and likened it to a passing freight train. Siluch and his family evacuated the area as emergency responders started their search for the missing persons.
Despite initial signs of life detected in the rubble, rescuers had to temporarily withdraw due to concerns of further ground movements. Children were reported among the missing, according to Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell. Elsewhere, police reported two individuals missing after a separate landslide hit a residence in Papamoa, and a third person went missing when their vehicle was swept away north of Auckland.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon reassured that the government is providing full support to those impacted by the natural disaster. Transportation authorities closed roads in Northland, Bay of Plenty, and Waikato due to the weather conditions, with some small communities isolated by road damage.
As the tropical low system moves eastward, weather authorities have lifted all warnings in the North Island.
