At least two dead, several missing in New Zealand landsldies
Landslides struck a home and a campsite in northern New Zealand on Thursday, killing at least two people and leaving others missing beneath tons of mud following heavy overnight rain.
Rescuers employed heavy machinery to dig through the debris in the North Island. Emergency workers recovered two bodies from a buried home in the harbourside city of Tauranga, police said, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
“Police are working to support their loved ones at this incredibly difficult time,” a spokesperson added.
Several people remain unaccounted for after a section of Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcano, slid into a nearby popular campsite. The area, a major tourist destination, draws hikers to the mountain and visitors to its white sand beaches.
The mud damaged a shower block, overturned campervans, and spread into a nearby heated pool complex. Witnesses and officials reported hearing voices calling for help from beneath the rubble.
“Whilst the land's still moving there, they're in a rescue mission,” Assistant Police Commissioner Tim Anderson told reporters at the scene.
By Nijat Babayev
Similar news
