Emergency crews in New Zealand are engaged in a critical search operation through treacherous terrain after a massive landslide from an extinct volcano engulfed a popular campsite on the North Island. The disaster struck Thursday when a substantial portion of Mount Maunganui collapsed onto the holiday destination following periods of intense rainfall, destroying shower facilities and multiple recreational vehicles.
Authorities have confirmed that a young child is among those missing, with police indicating the number of unaccounted individuals remains in ‘single figures.’ Initial reports from witnesses and first responders described hearing voices calling for help from beneath the rubble immediately following the collapse, but no further sounds have been detected since the early hours of the disaster.
Three mechanical excavators have been deployed to clear the extensive mud and debris that completely overwhelmed the campsite. The operation proceeded throughout the night under challenging conditions, with progress deliberately measured due to the unstable environment. At one point during Friday’s efforts, work was temporarily suspended as a police photographer documented the scene and a hearse was observed departing the area.
Fire and Emergency assistant national commander David Guard characterized the situation as ‘complex and high-risk,’ emphasizing that crews would continue their painstaking layer-by-layer search until completion. Approximately two dozen family members maintained a vigil across from the disaster site, watching as damaged caravans and campervans were extracted from the mud.
The region, known as a major summer tourist attraction for hikers and beach enthusiasts, has experienced multiple landslide incidents. In a separate event on Thursday, emergency workers recovered two bodies from a home in nearby Tauranga that was struck by another landslide.
Canadian tourist Dion Siluch, 34, recounted his narrow escape from the catastrophe while receiving a massage at the adjacent Mount Hot Pools complex. ‘The whole room started shaking,’ he described. ‘When I walked out, there was a caravan in the pool, and there’s a mudslide that missed me by about 30 feet.’ Siluch noted he had observed another smaller landslip approximately an hour earlier but hadn’t recognized the imminent danger.