Emergency crews in New Zealand are engaged in a critical search operation for six individuals, including a 15-year-old teenager, following a catastrophic landslide that engulfed a popular campsite near Mount Maunganui on Thursday. The disaster, triggered by torrential rains that saturated an extinct volcano’s slopes, sent a massive wall of mud and debris crashing onto holidaymakers, demolishing facilities and vehicles.
A multi-agency response team comprising search and rescue specialists, contractors operating heavy excavators, and police dog units has been working relentlessly through the night and into a second day. Initial reports from the scene indicated voices calling for help from beneath the rubble immediately after the collapse, but no further signs of life have been detected since, according to witnesses and officials.
The recovery operation, described by Fire and Emergency assistant national commander David Guard as a ‘complex and high-risk environment,’ is proceeding with painstaking caution. The somber mood at the site was underscored when machinery was halted and a hearse was witnessed departing, though officials have refrained from confirming any fatalities out of respect for the families awaiting news.
Assistant Police Commissioner Tim Anderson confirmed the six missing persons while acknowledging efforts to verify the whereabouts of three other campers who may have left the area. ‘Not as of today, but we live in hope,’ Anderson stated regarding potential survivors.
The tragedy has prompted serious questions regarding preventative measures, as reports emerged of a smaller landslip at the same location earlier that day. Local Tauranga mayor Mahe Drysdale acknowledged these concerns, stating ‘Those questions will be answered,’ while noting some individuals had reportedly moved away from the initial minor slip.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed the nation’s anguish after speaking with affected families, describing their state as ‘highly anxious, clearly hopeful.’ The incident marks another devastating weather-related tragedy after two fatalities were confirmed from a separate landslide in nearby Tauranga, one of whom was identified as a Chinese national.