{"id":14852,"date":"2026-01-23T02:10:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T02:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=14852"},"modified":"2026-01-23T02:10:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T02:10:35","slug":"two-dead-and-six-missing-after-landslides-hit-house-and-campground-in-new-zealand-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=14852","title":{"rendered":"Two dead and six missing after landslides hit house and campground in New Zealand | New Zealand"},"content":{"rendered":"

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New Zealand is \u2018full of grief\u201d, the prime minister has said, after landslides tore through a house and busy campground, leaving two dead and at least six victims still missing.<\/p>\n

Police said emergency crews were still searching for at least six people, including two teenagers, believed missing beneath the debris of a landslide, which struck a Mount Maunganui campsite on Thursday morning. Police were attempting to contact another three people. Families enjoying the summer school holiday were among the campers. Recreational vehicles and at least one structure were crushed, images showed.<\/p>\n

During a visit to the region on Friday, prime minister Christopher Luxon said he had met with some of the grieving families, who had told him they were feeling well supported during an \u201cabsoultely tragic\u201d time.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Zealand is full of grief today \u2026 and grieves with them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Chinese ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong, posted on X<\/a> that one of the dead was a Chinese citizen.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur hearts are with the impacted families at this difficult moment,\u201d he said. \u201cDeeply appreciate the assistance provided promptly by Mfat and NZ Police when we reached out yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first landslide hit a house in the community of Welcome Bay on New Zealand\u2019s North Island at 4.50am, police said. Two people escaped the house, and the bodies of two who were trapped inside were recovered hours later, the emergency management minister, Mark Mitchell, said.<\/p>\n

Later the same morning, emergency services were called to a second slide at the base of nearby Mount Maunganui<\/a>, also on the North Island. The rubble hit Beachside Holiday Park in a town named after the extinct volcano. Images showed vehicles, travel trailers and an amenities block crushed by debris.<\/p>\n

Local 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s really hard, and we\u2019re 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,\u201d Drysdale said.<\/p>\n

He said the area remained unstable. Mitchell told Radio New Zealand it was a challenging and difficult environment. He said police were checking if some campers may have left without informing authorities.<\/p>\n

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