Two dead and at least six missing after New Zealand landslides

Two people have died and at least six are missing after landslides struck a house in Welcome Bay and a campground at Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island, police and officials said. Police said the first landslide hit a Welcome Bay house at 4.50am; two people escaped and the bodies of two who were trapped inside were recovered hours later, emergency management minister Mark Mitchell said.

Later the same morning a slide swept through Beachside Holiday Park at the base of Mount Maunganui, crushing recreational vehicles and an amenities block, and emergency crews were still searching for at least six people believed buried beneath the debris, including two teenagers. Prime minister Christopher Luxon said he had met grieving families and that "New Zealand is full of grief today".

The Chinese ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong, posted on X that one of the dead was a Chinese citizen and thanked officials for assistance. Fire and Emergency NZ commander William Pike said rescuers initially heard signs of life but withdrew because the site remained unstable.

Search-and-rescue teams continued work amid warnings that heavy rains had made slopes dangerous. Police superintendent Tim Anderson described the number of people missing as being in the "single figures"; authorities said they were attempting to contact additional people and checking whether some campers may have left without informing police.

Key Topics

World, Mount Maunganui, Welcome Bay, Beachside Holiday Park, Christopher Luxon, Mark Mitchell