Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. Rescue workers searched rubble at a campsite on Thursday for people missing after a landslide triggered by heavy rain, with children among those unaccounted for. Severe weather also damaged infrastructure, closed roads and cut power to thousands.
Search at campsite continues overnight
Emergency services said rescuers at the Mount Maunganui campsite would use earthmoving equipment to remove layers of debris while working through the night to locate the missing. Fire and emergency services official Megan Stiffler said the site was “a complex and high-risk environment,” adding that teams would operate overnight until the search was complete.
Missing reported in single digits as storms batter North Island
Police superintendent Tim Anderson said the number of missing after the landslide was in the “single figures” and said it was possible someone could be found alive. Heavy rain lashed almost the entire eastern seaboard of the North Island, prompting evacuations and road closures and killing two people.
Helicopters and dogs deployed as power outages ease
Helicopters and search and rescue dogs were deployed, while media reported about 8,000 people remained without power, down from 16,000 earlier. Emergency services said no deaths had yet been confirmed in connection with the landslide.
Witness describes sudden collapse and impact on campsite structures
Witness Nix Jaques told Radio NZ she heard an “incredibly loud noise” as she was about to walk up a mountain and saw land coming down onto structures. She said it hit an ablutions block and shifted a campervan, adding that a family had a campervan there.
Responders withdrew over safety concerns after signs of life reported
Fire and emergency commander William Pike said no voices had been heard in the rubble since first responders withdrew over fears of further ground movement, despite detecting signs of life. He said members of the public had tried to get into the rubble and heard voices, and that the sounds were also heard by a fire crew at the scene.
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