Additional Coverage:
Heavy Rains Unleash Deadly Landslides on New Zealand’s North Island
Auckland, NZ – Torrential downpours have triggered devastating landslides across New Zealand’s North Island, claiming at least two lives and leaving several individuals missing during the peak summer holiday season. The catastrophic events, which unfolded on Thursday, have plunged communities into shock and prompted a state of emergency declaration across multiple regions.
The fatalities occurred in Welcome Bay, a popular tourist destination located 110 miles southeast of Auckland. Rescue teams are currently engaged in a desperate search at a second affected site, a campground in nearby Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcano. Authorities have grimly reported “no signs of life” detected at the campground and have confirmed that those unaccounted for include “at least one young girl.”
Megan Stiffler, deputy commander for Urban Search and Rescue, emphasized the perilous conditions faced by responders. “This is a complex and high-risk environment, and our teams are working to achieve the best possible outcome while keeping everyone safe,” she stated as darkness descended upon the search site at the base of Mount Maunganui.
One harrowing account comes from Australian tourist Sonny Worrall, who narrowly escaped with his life when a hillside gave way and hurtled towards the swimming pool he was using in Mount Maunganui. “As I’m swimming, I heard this huge landslide behind me, trees cracking, there was a caravan that almost hit me.
I had to dive in the next pool. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever felt in my life,” Worrall recounted.
Eight miles southeast in Papamoa, another landslide struck a home at 4 a.m., resulting in one person sustaining serious injuries and two others missing. Meanwhile, police on the Northland Peninsula are continuing their search for a man in his 40s who was swept away by floodwaters on Wednesday.
The North Island has been inundated in recent days, with some areas in the Bay of Plenty region, where the affected sites are located, receiving up to three months of rain in a single day on Thursday. This extreme weather has led to widespread flooding, power outages for thousands, and the declaration of a state of emergency spanning Northland, Coromandel, Tairawhiti, Hauraki, and Auckland’s North Shore.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed the nation’s profound sorrow over the tragic losses. In a social media post, he attributed the incidents to recent extreme weather and pledged immediate government assistance, as well as support for the long road to recovery ahead. “These losses are deeply shattering and New Zealand is heavy with grief,” Luxon stated.