The tranquility of a summer holiday in New Zealand’s Mount Maunganui was shattered on Thursday morning as a devastating landslide struck a popular campsite, claiming two lives and leaving six people unaccounted for.
The disaster unfolded around 9:30 am, when heavy rainfall triggered a massive soil and debris flow that cascaded down the slopes, engulfing caravans and vehicles in its path. Local resident Alistair McHardy, who had initially noticed a “mountain of soil” building up at the north end of the beach, raised the alarm with emergency services, warning that further slippage was imminent.
Eyewitness accounts paint a harrowing scene, with McHardy describing an “almighty cracking” sound before the mountain gave way, “swallowing up caravans and cars as it collapsed at speed on the campsite below.” The sound of “mayhem” filled the air, as campers screamed and car alarms blared in the aftermath.
Rescue efforts were swiftly launched, with voices heard calling for help from beneath the rubble. However, as the hours passed, no further contact has been made with the missing, leaving their families in a state of agonizing uncertainty.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who visited the affected areas on Friday, expressed the nation’s collective grief, stating that “New Zealand is full of grief today.” Tauranga Mayor Marty Dry sdale echoed these sentiments, acknowledging the “uncertainty of where they are and when we might have a result” as a deeply distressing reality for the grieving families.
The Chinese embassy in New Zealand has confirmed that one of the two fatalities was a Chinese citizen, further underscoring the international impact of this tragedy.
As rescue teams continue their painstaking efforts to clear the debris and search for the missing, the Mount Maunganui community and the wider nation grapple with the aftermath of this devastating natural disaster. The region, renowned for its natural beauty and popular with hikers and beach-goers, now finds itself in a state of shock and mourning.
