- The incident occurred at a camp at the foot of Mount Maunganu during persistent rains.
- Heavy rains forced evacuations and left thousands without power.
- Several main roads were closed, some villages are cut off from the world.
Several people are missing after a landslide triggered by persistent rain in New Zealand’s North Island. On Thursday night, the local police and rescuers, who are referred to by the AFP agency, drew attention to this.
Police said the number of missing was in the “single digits”. According to Reuters, the accident occurred in the northern part of the island at 9:30 a.m. (22:30 CET) local time in a camp at the foot of Mount Maunganu, which is a popular tourist destination.
Fire and rescue chief William Park said first responders at the scene of the wreckage heard human voices calling for help, but withdrew from the scene after fears of another landslide. According to Crisis Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell, children are among the missing. The Minister clarified that rescue services are also looking for two people whose house in the city of Tauranga was hit by another landslide. One man, who was washed away in a car by a strong current of water, is also missing.
Persistent rains have already caused extensive damage in the North Island. Many residents had to be evacuated and thousands of people are without electricity. Speaking on Radio NZ, Mitchell said heavy rain had hit almost the entire east coast of the North Island. “The good news is that everyone responded very quickly. There was time to prepare, and that helps to mitigate the damage and respond thoroughly,” he said.
The New Zealand Transport Authority has announced the closure of several major roads in Northland, Bay of Plenty and Waikato. Local authorities said some small villages are completely cut off due to damaged roads. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s MetService has canceled all weather warnings for the North Island as the tropical depression moves further east.
