At least two people have been confirmed dead after landslides hit a house and a campground on New Zealand’s North Island, authorities said Thursday, according to AFP.
Police said the first landslide struck a home in Welcome Bay at about 4:50 a.m. Two people escaped, but two others were trapped and later found dead. Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell confirmed the deaths.
A second landslide later hit Beachside Holiday Park at the base of Mount Maunganui, sending mud and debris into the campground and damaging vehicles, trailers and buildings.
Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said the number of people missing at the campground was in the “single figures.”
By Thursday evening, no survivors or bodies had been recovered from the Mount Maunganui site. Search teams were using dogs as they worked through unstable rubble, Mitchell said.
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“There were people using a shower and kitchen block when the landslide came through, and those are some of the people we are working hard to recover,” Mitchell told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Fire and Emergency NZ commander William Pike said rescuers initially heard voices at the site but were forced to withdraw due to safety concerns.
“We had to pull everyone back because of the risk of further movement,” Pike said.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urged residents in affected areas to follow safety advice as extreme weather continued across the region.
“Extreme weather is causing dangerous conditions across the North Island,” Luxon said, adding that the government was supporting those affected.