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Rescue workers combed rubble on Thursday at a campsite in New Zealand as they searched for the missing, children among them, after a landslide triggered by heavy rains that snapped power links to thousands and caused widespread damage.
Homes were evacuated and roads closed as the rain lashed almost the entire eastern seaboard of the North Island, while police estimate the number of missing in single digits after Wednesday’s landslide in the tourist spot of Mount Maunganui.
Rescuers will use earthmoving equipment to claw away layers of debris as they work through the night to locate the missing, emergency services said in a statement.
“This is a complex and high-risk environment,” added Megan Stiffler, a fire and emergency services official. “The teams will be operating overnight until the search is complete.”
The number of missing was in the “single figures,” police superintendent Tim Anderson told a press conference, adding, “It is possible we could find someone alive.”
Helicopters and search and rescue dogs fanned out in the hunt, while media said 8,000 people are still without power, down from 16,000 earlier. No deaths had yet been confirmed.
Canadian describes slide
One witness, Canadian Dion Siluch, was having a massage at the nearby Mount Hot Pools when the landslide occurred.
“The whole room just started shaking violently… it was like a freight train driving right past you,” Siluch told Reuters.
“We looked outside the window and there was a caravan in the hot pool.”
Siluch, who was staying at the campsite, said he evacuated from the area with his wife and two daughters, as emergency services began working to locate missing people.
No voices have been heard in the rubble since fears of further ground movement prompted first responders to withdraw despite detecting signs of life, said fire and emergency commander William Pike.
“My understanding was members of the public … tried to get into the rubble and did hear some voices,” he said, adding that the sounds were also heard by a fire crew at the scene.
Children were among the missing, media said, citing Mark Mitchell, the emergency management minister.
People missing elsewhere
Police said two people were missing after another landslide struck a house in neighbouring Papamoa, with a third missing after their vehicle was washed away north of Auckland on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the government was doing all it could to support those affected.
Transport authorities said roads had been closed in the areas of Northland, Bay of Plenty and Waikato, while local authorities said road damage cut off some small communities.
Weather officials have lifted all North Island warnings as a tropical low moves east.
