New Zealand disaster: Frantic search for missing children at Mount Maunganui after horror landslide

A landslide has destroyed parts of an iconic campground on New Zealand’s North Island, with several people unaccounted for and children believed to be among those missing

Several people remain missing after a devastating landslide tore through sections of a beloved campsite on New Zealand’s North Island.

Children are thought to be amongst those unaccounted for following the disaster that flattened tents and sent a campervan hurtling into a thermal pool at the Mount Maunganui campground, with rescue teams now scouring through wreckage, according to the New Zealand Herald.

On Thursday, January 22, Tauranga City Council described the Mount Maunganui landslide as a “developing situation, reports the Express..

“We are on site and working with emergency services to gather more information and provide support,” the council stated.

“What we know is that several people are unaccounted for. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this event and their loved ones.”

Anxious parents are gathering at a surf club, desperately awaiting updates about their children. Minister Mark Mitchell confirmed to the New Zealand Herald that “young people” are amongst those still missing.

The council announced that the majority of people have been moved to safety from the Mount Holiday Park, with the campground now shut indefinitely.

Images released by local news outlets reveal massive trees torn from their roots scattered across roads, streets ravaged by flooding and buildings swept away by landslides.

The region is said to have endured its worst deluge on record, with two-and-a-half months’ rainfall hammering down in just 12 hours leading up to 6am.

Tauranga was battered by 198mm of rain during this period. “In the past 24 hours, from 9am to 9am, 274mm of rain fell in Tauranga, making it the wettest day on record,” Meteorologist Mmthapelo Makgabutlane announced, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.

“The records date back to 1910.”

Weather warnings have been lifted nationwide, save for strong wind and heavy rain alerts still in effect for the Chatham Islands. These warnings are set to stay until 5am on Friday.

Emergency declarations have been made in several areas, including the Whangrei District, Hauraki District and Thames-Coromandel District.

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