A powerful landslide on Thursday struck the popular Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park on New Zealand’s North Island, causing severe destruction and leaving multiple children missing.
Foreign tourists, including Australians, were caught up in the disaster as caravans, tents, vehicles, and amenities were crushed under the massive slip, caused by record-breaking rainfall in recent days.
Emergency management minister Mark Mitchell confirmed that at least one young girl remains unaccounted for following the landslide, which has left rescuers scrambling to find survivors.
Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said the number of people missing was in the single figures, and emergency teams have reported no signs of life at the campsite so far.
The tragedy follows a separate landslide in the nearby Welcome Bay community, which hit a house at 4:50 am, killing two people.
Another two managed to escape, but bodies of two trapped residents were recovered hours later.
Emergency responders were called to the second slide later the same morning, near the base of Mount Maunganui.
Describing the aftermath, Minister Mitchell told media that sections of the east coast resembled ‘a war zone,’ with helicopters deployed to rescue families stranded on rooftops by flooding.
Local states of emergency have been declared in five regions, including Northland and the East Cape.
Witnesses described the terrifying moment the hillside gave way. Fisherman Alister Hardy recounted hearing rolling thunder and cracking of trees before seeing the whole hillside give way.
He added, “There were people running and screaming, and I saw people get bowled. There are people trapped.”
Camper Carly Morley painted a vivid picture of the destruction, “The toilet block up the top has been taken out with a number of caravans. It’s all slid right down through the hot pools, there’ve been helicopters, surf lifesavers are over there helping, and they’re just trying to cut into the toilet block at the moment.”
The Beachside Holiday Park has since been fully evacuated and remains closed. A second landslip formed behind the Mount Maunganui surf club on Thursday afternoon, forcing evacuation of the building.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed his deep sympathy for those affected and praised emergency responders for their efforts.
“To the emergency responders, Defence Force personnel, and all those who are putting themselves in harm’s way to keep Kiwis safe, the whole country is grateful,” he said.
Luxon described the weather events as a profound tragedy, which has claimed lives and devastated livelihoods.
He extended tributes for the families who have lost loved ones, and with those whose family members remain unaccounted for, adding, “These losses are deeply shattering, and New Zealand is heavy with grief.”
Mount Maunganui, a popular coastal holiday destination famed for its extinct volcano and sacred Maori sites, received 295mm of rain in 30 hours leading up to Thursday morning.
Torrential rain across large areas of the North Island led meteorologists MetService to issue a rare red weather warning signalling a threat to life and prompted local emergency declarations.
The storm caused widespread damage beyond Mount Maunganui. In Warkworth near Auckland, a man was swept away in a car by the swollen Mahurangi River, with police continuing the search for the missing motorist.
In the remote Tairawhiti region, locals were trapped on rooftops, requiring helicopter rescues.
Thousands of residents across Northland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, and Tairawhiti remain without power following the flooding and storm damage.
As rescue teams continue their urgent search amid the destruction, authorities urge the public to avoid affected areas and heed local warnings.
