Mount Maunganui collapse: Children among missing in debris in New Zealand as rescuers conduct frantic search

The search is underway for missing people after screams were heard from the debris following a landslide at the iconic Mount Maunganui as the area had its wettest day on record

Mount Maunganui landslide

Several people, including children, are missing after a massive landslide destroyed part of an iconic campground in New Zealand. Emergency services are desperately searching for those unaccounted for in the debris after heavy rainfall caused destruction in Mount Maunganui.

Children are believed to be among the missing people following the landslide. The campground has been closed following the natural disaster and emergency services are at the scene attempting to locate missing people.

The tragedy occurred in the tourist hotspot, around 240 kilometres south-east of Auckland, on Thursday morning (January 22). According to local media, screams could be heard from the beachside holiday resort where the landslip hit tents and campervans and a shower block.

Tauranga City Council said in a statement that most people have been successfully evacuated from the Mount Holiday Park.

A spokesperson for the council added: “The landslide that has occurred at Mount Maunganui is an evolving situation. We are on site and working with emergency services to gather more information and provide support.

“What we know is that several people are unaccounted for. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this event and their loved ones.”

A spokesman for the Fire and Emergency department confirmed that rescuers have had to temporarily stand down from the scene due to the threat of a second slip, according to the Herald. The spokesman added that people could be heard yelling as the land fell but no voices had been heard since.

Minister Mark Mitchell said that “young people” are among those missing. Heartbroken parents are waiting for news at the surf club nearby.

Nobody is yet to be found alive according to reports. ABC News say that emergency services have confirmed a young girl is among the missing.

A fisherman close by, Alister Hardy reported hearing “rolling thunder and cracking of trees”, before looking up and seeing “the whole hillside gave way”.

“There were people running and screaming and I saw people get bowled. There are people trapped,” he said.

The area has been battered by rain with its wettest day on record as two-and-a-half months’ worth of rain fell in just 12 hours.