Six people confirmed missing after landslide at New Zealand campsite

WELLINGTON - Six people have been confirmed missing in a landslide that ripped through a busy campground on New Zealand's North Island, authorities said on Friday as emergency crews continued to comb through the rubble.

Heavy rains triggered the landslide on Thursday at Mount Maunganui on the island's east coast at 9:30 a.m. (2030 GMT on Wednesday), bringing soil and rubble down on the busy campsite in the city of Tauranga, where families were enjoying summer school holidays.

Police District Commander Tim Anderson told a news conference that authorities were working to contact three more people in addition to the six confirmed missing. "We don’t believe they’re here but we’ve still got to do that inquiry," he added.

New Zealand officials have not reported any deaths at the campground.

Two people died on Thursday in a landslide in the neighboring suburb of Papamoa, police said. Chinese Ambassador Wang Xiaolong said in an X post that one was a Chinese citizen.

Tauranga Mayor Mahe Drysdale told Radio New Zealand that while search-and-rescue teams had continued at the campground through the night, there had been no progress in finding missing people.

Images showed recreational vehicles and at least one structure crushed at the campsite.

"We're here with the families and as you can imagine, just that uncertainty of where they are and when we might have a result is pretty hard," Drysdale said.

Drysdale said the area remained unstable. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell told Radio New Zealand it was a challenging environment.

He said police were checking if some campers may have left without informing authorities.

New Zealand Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told the New Zealand Herald the scale of the disaster and the risks at the site could delay rescue efforts.

"It could be days, and we appreciate that everybody is anxious and waiting for their loved ones, and for some answers but we also have to be very careful," Chambers said.

The landslide occurred after heavy rains soaked much of the North Island's east coast this week and caused widespread damage.

Roads remained closed in some of the worst-hit areas, making some North Island towns inaccessible by land.

The civil defence organization in Tairawhiti District said in a social media post that people were walking over landslides to collect water and food from welfare hubs and warned against this due to fears of further landslides.

-Reporting by Lucy Craymer in Wellington and Christine Chen in Sydney; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Tom Hogue/Reuters