Landslide in New Zealand Campground Leaves Six Missing, Rescue Efforts Ongoing
Tauranga, New Zealand – A landslide ripped through a busy campground at Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island on Thursday morning, leaving six people missing, including two teenagers. Emergency services are working tirelessly to locate potential survivors amidst challenging conditions, with authorities warning the operation could take days.
The landslide, triggered by torrential rainfall that has battered the eastern seaboard of the North Island, struck around 9:30 a.m. local time (7:30 a.m. AEDT) at the base of Mount Maunganui, a popular holiday destination. Families were enjoying the summer school break when the hillside gave way, burying parts of the campground under soil and debris.
“We have 25 personnel working with contractors and their diggers and police dogs, as well as police operations to ensure that every inch of soil removed is worked through,” said David Guard, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand official, during a press conference.
Police Commander Tim Anderson confirmed the youngest missing person is 15 years old. Authorities are also attempting to locate three additional individuals who were reportedly at the campground but haven’t been accounted for. While initial reports indicated voices were heard from the rubble shortly after the slide, no signs of life have been detected since.
The scale of the disaster and the unstable ground are significantly hindering rescue efforts. New Zealand Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told The New Zealand Herald that the operation could be prolonged. “It could be days, and we appreciate that everybody is anxious and waiting for their loved ones, and for some answers, but we also have to be very careful,” Chambers stated.
Video footage circulating online shows recreational vehicles and structures crushed by the landslide. The incident has prompted an outpouring of concern and support from across New Zealand.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visited the site on Friday, meeting with distraught families. “They are grieving incredibly hard, and I know that New Zealand grieves with them,” Luxon said. He pledged government funding to support affected areas once a full damage assessment is completed and announced a public review into the circumstances surrounding the landslide and the campground’s evacuation procedures.
This disaster comes as the North Island continues to grapple with the aftermath of severe weather. Another landslide in the nearby suburb of Papamoa claimed two lives, including that of a Chinese citizen, as confirmed by Chinese Ambassador Wang Xiaolong on X (formerly Twitter).
The ongoing rainfall and unstable conditions have led to road closures in several areas, isolating some North Island towns. Civil defence authorities in the Tairawhiti district are urging residents seeking emergency supplies to avoid traversing landslide-prone areas.
New Zealand is particularly vulnerable to landslides due to its steep terrain and frequent rainfall. According to data from the New Zealand Landslide Information Database, the country experiences an average of 150 landslides annually, often exacerbated by extreme weather events. The increasing frequency and intensity of these events are raising concerns about the long-term impact of climate change on the country’s infrastructure and communities.
The situation remains fluid, and updates will be provided as they become available. The Sydney Morning Herald will continue to follow this developing story.
[Image of rescue workers at the landslide site – sourced from AP]
[Embedded Datawrapper chart showing landslide frequency in New Zealand – if available]
[Link to related article: “It’s possible we could find someone alive, police say after major landslide hits NZ campsite” – https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/it-s-possible-we-could-find-someone-alive-police-say-after-major-landslide-hits-nz-campsite-20260122-p5nw6r.html]
Reuters
