US EditionDeadly Landslides Strike New Zealand After Record Rainfall
Record heavy rain triggered landslides at Mount Maunganui and Papamoa, killing two and leaving several missing amid ongoing search operations and evacuations.
- On Thursday, a major landslide struck Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park at about 9.30am local time, burying campervans and a shower/toilet block and leaving multiple people missing.
- Record downpours preceded the slide, with officials saying the North Island, New Zealand, saw its wettest day on record, with two-and-a-half months' rain in about 12 hours and 236 call outs to Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
- Fire and Emergency commander William Park said rescuers and bystanders initially heard voices but withdrew soon because the slip remained unstable, while urban search-and-rescue teams, helicopters, sniffer dogs, and geoscientists are deployed.
- The campsite has been evacuated and officials are processing families at the Mount Maunganui Surf Life Saving Club while Adams Ave, Tauranga remains closed.
- Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell are actively monitoring the situation as geoscientists assess slopes and Tauranga emergency services continue night operations, with officials warning full figures could take days.
185 Articles
185 Articles
The Mount Maunganui tragedy reminds us landslides are NZ’s deadliest natural hazard
Getty ImagesThe tragic events in the Bay of Plenty this week are a stark reminder that landslides remain the deadliest of the many natural hazards New Zealand faces. On Thursday morning, a large landslide swept through the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park at the base of Mauao, triggering a major rescue and recovery operation that will continue through the weekend. Hours earlier, two people were killed when a separate landslide struck a hom…
'We saw the trees moving down the hill'
Analysis: Maringi noa ngā roimata. The whole country is grieving today as the search continues for those caught in the holiday park landslide at the base of Mauao, in the Bay of Plenty. Auckland holidaymakers Greg and Di Holmes had been planning to walk around the ocean side of the mountain yesterday, but discovered slips on that side had taken out the path. So they were just returning past the campground and hotpools, when they heard a tremendo…
At least two people dead and several missing in landslides after...
At least two people have died and several are reported to be missing, including a young child, after landslides in New Zealand, officials said on Thursday. It comes after high winds and heavy rainfall over the past few days on the North Island, leading to multiple power outages and widespread flooding, local media reported. The first landslide hit a house in the community of Welcome Bay on New Zealand's North Island at 4.50am, police said. Two p…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
