Rescue workers are searching for several people, including children, missing after landslides in New Zealand, where homes have been evacuated and roads closed as heavy rains hit almost the entire eastern seaboard of the country’s North Island.
Several people were missing on Thursday afternoon following a landslide which hit Mount Maunganui holiday park on North Island, at approximately 9:30am local time (20:30 GMT, Wednesday).
According to Radio New Zealand, the landslide hit campervans and a shower block at the popular tourist spot during the last week of summer school holidays.
Two people were also missing after a landslide struck a house in neighbouring Papamoa, police said. A 47-year-old man was missing after he tried to cross the Mahurangi River north of Auckland, and his car was caught in floodwaters, according to Radio New Zealand.
Officials briefing reporters about the ongoing rescue efforts at Mount Maunganui said they still hoped to find survivors but that the potential for further landslides was hampering operations.
Al Jazeera’s Caley Callahan reports.
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