At least two people have died and several more are missing after heavy rain triggered landslides on New Zealand's North Island during the summer holiday period. Fatalities were reported in Welcome Bay, and rescue teams found 'no signs of life' at a campground near Mount Maunganui. Authorities said the missing include at least one young girl, and a landslide in Papamoa injured one person and left two missing. A state of emergency was declared across several regions after intense rainfall left thousands without power.
Torrential Rain Triggers Deadly Landslides on New Zealand’s North Island — At Least Two Dead, Multiple Missing
Record-breaking torrential rain across the north island of New Zealand was being blamed for at least two deadly landlides that claimed the lives of two people on Thursday in one of the country's most popular holiday regions. File photo by New Zealand Police/EPA-EFE
At least two people have died and several others remain missing after landslides triggered by intense rainfall struck New Zealand's North Island during the peak summer holiday period. The fatalities were reported in Welcome Bay, and rescue teams were also searching a campground near Mount Maunganui, where they said they had found 'no signs of life.' Authorities confirmed the missing included at least one young girl.
Search and Rescue Operations Underway
Emergency crews, including Urban Search and Rescue teams, worked through deteriorating conditions as darkness fell at the foot of Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcanic cone. Deputy commander Megan Stiffler warned the site presented 'a complex and high-risk environment' and said teams were balancing the urgency of finding survivors with safety concerns.
'This is a complex and high-risk environment, and our teams are working to achieve the best possible outcome while keeping everyone safe,' Deputy Commander Megan Stiffler said.
Eyewitness Accounts and Local Impact
Australian visitor Sonny Worrall described narrowly escaping after a hillside suddenly collapsed toward the pool where he was swimming at Mount Maunganui. He said trees were cracking and a caravan nearly struck him before he reached safety.
'As I’m swimming, I heard this huge landslide behind me, trees cracking, there was a caravan that almost hit me. I had to dive in the next pool. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever felt in my life,' Worrall said.
In Papamoa, about eight miles (roughly 13 km) southeast of Mount Maunganui, a landslide struck a house at about 4 a.m., leaving one person seriously injured and two others missing. On the Northland Peninsula, police continued searching for a man in his 40s swept away by floodwaters on Wednesday.
Widespread Flooding and State of Emergency
Large parts of the North Island have been inundated in recent days, leaving thousands without power. Authorities said as much as three months' worth of rain fell on Thursday in parts of the Bay of Plenty, where the most severe impacts were recorded. The government declared a state of emergency for the Bay of Plenty and extended the declaration to include Northland, Coromandel, Tairawhiti and Hauraki on Auckland's North Shore.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the nation was reeling from the loss of life, attributing the tragedies to recent extreme weather and promising government support for both immediate response and longer-term recovery efforts.
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