Rescue teams were busy searching for missing individuals, including children, following a landslide caused by heavy rains at a campsite in New Zealand. The severe weather disrupted power supply to thousands and led to significant destruction, prompting evacuations and road closures across the eastern coast of the North Island.
Efforts to locate the missing are ongoing, with emergency services using heavy equipment to clear debris despite the challenging and risky conditions, according to Megan Stiffler, a fire and emergency services official. Police superintendent Tim Anderson mentioned that the number of missing persons is in single digits, expressing hope for potential survivors.
Helicopters and search dogs have been deployed in the search operation, while reports indicate that around 8,000 people are still without electricity, down from an initial 16,000. Fortunately, no fatalities have been confirmed so far.
A witness, Dion Siluch from Canada, described the intense moments when the landslide struck while he was at a nearby hot pool facility. Siluch recounted the frightening experience, which led to swift evacuations as emergency services mobilized to assist those in need.
Despite initial efforts to locate survivors, concerns about further ground movements forced responders to temporarily withdraw. Children were among those reported missing, as Mark Mitchell, the emergency management minister, highlighted. Additionally, police reported two missing individuals after another landslide hit a house in Papamoa, with a third person unaccounted for following a vehicle washout north of Auckland.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon assured that the government is providing support to the affected individuals, while transportation authorities announced road closures in Northland, Bay of Plenty, and Waikato regions due to damage. Weather warnings have been lifted as a tropical low system moves away from the North Island.