North Island in New Zealand was hit with the devastating flooding and land sliding.
According to Reuters, several people, including children, went missing on Thursday, January 22, after a landslide hit a campsite following heavy rains.
Heavy rains in North Island caused widespread damage and left thousands of people without power. Homes near the eastern seaboard were evacuated.
The landslide at the popular tourist spot, Mount Maunganui, happened at 9:30 am local time, sending massive rocks down onto the campsite.
One witness, Nix Jaques, told Radio NZ, “I turned around, and I could see the land coming down onto some structures. There were some vehicles that were moved. It came down on an ablutions block - I believe there were some people in the showers - and it shifted a campervan, there was a family with a campervan."
Police District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson at a press conference said that the number of people who went missing was in “single figures,” and there are chances that they “could find someone alive.”
Fire and Emergency Commander William Park asserted, “My understanding was members of the public... tried to get into the rubble and did hear some voices. Our initial fire crew arrived and were able to hear the same. Shortly after our initial crew arrived, we withdrew everyone from the site due to the possible movement of the slip.”
Furthermore, another landslide nearby Papamao seriously injured one person, while two others are still missing.
Local states of emergency have been declared in the Bay of Plenty and in parts of the North Island, including Northland, Coromandel, Tairāwhiti, and Hauraki.
