Multiple people are missing, including children, after a massive landslide came crashing down on a campsite in New Zealand.
Emergency services have descended on Mount Maunganui, a popular tourist spot in the Bay of Plenty region along the country’s northern coast.
But nobody has been rescued from beneath the landslide itself.
Initially, people could be heard shouting out after the campsite was partially buried.
But a second slip threatening to come down meant rescuers had to temporarily call off a search.
No voices have been heard since.
NZ Police Minister Mark Mitchell told the New Zealand Herald that “young people” were among those unaccounted for, calling it a “heartbreaking” situation for parents.
Robyn, a resident in a nearby apartment block, told Radio New Zealand she saw people digging through the mud for an hour after the campsite was buried – but it appeared no bodies were found.
She said she saw stretchers arriving, then leaving empty.
Geologists are now facing a race against time to assess when it will be safe to access the campsite again.
Police have said the number of people missing stands in the “single figures”, adding it is “possible we could find someone alive”.
PM Christopher Luxon said he was “actively monitoring situations across the country – including the major incident in Mount Maunganui”, adding extreme weather is still causing dangerous conditions across the North Island.
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell said on Radio NZ that the heavy rains hit almost the entire eastern seaboard of the North Island.
“The good news is everyone responded very quickly. There was time to get prepared, and that helps to mitigate and create a strong response,” he said.
