Reuters

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is visiting communities affected by the landslides

The search continues for missing people after a landslide hit a popular campsite in Mount Maunganui, on New Zealand’s North Island.

Six people remain unaccounted for, and police are seeking information on another three. Two teenagers are among the missing, with the youngest aged 15 years old, police said.

Another landslide at the nearby Welcome Bay killed a grandmother and her grandchild, public service broadcaster Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported. One of them was a Chinese national, police told reporters on Friday.

The landslides come after heavy rain pummelled parts of the North Island for days.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who visited the disaster site on Friday, said it was “inspiring” to see the support pouring through the community, with neighbours and “friends of friends of friends” helping to clear debris in flood-hit areas.

He said despite the tragedy he was “incredibly impressed” by the professionalism in the wake of the disaster.

Key challenges remains, Luxon said, pointing to road access to isolated communities, continued risks of slips and flooding.

Thunderstorms and strong winds are expected this weekend in Gisborne, where floods have cut off communities, and Tauranga, where the landslides happened, according to New Zealand’s meteorological service.

Much of the focus remained on the search and rescue mission, Luxon said.

Besides the six people who are unaccounted for, police are appealing to the public for any information about another three people who might have been at the site.

They are believed to be international tourists who may have already departed from the area, police district commander Tim Anderson said on Friday. “We don’t believe they’re here, but we still got to do that inquiry.”

Rescuers have not seen any signs of life under the rubble today, Anderson said. But he added that they were still “working 24/7” and “leaving no stone unturned”.

Footage from the campsite on Mount Maunganui shows rescuers and sniffer dogs combing through crushed caravans and flattened tents.

A tourist told broadcaster TVNZ that he had jumped out of the pool as he saw the huge landslide coming down.

The sacred Māori site is a popular tourist attraction, though it has seen several landslides in recent years.

At nearby Welcome Bay, police recovered two bodies in a house on Thursday after it was hit by a landslide. Another person at the scene was seriously injured, police said.

“We are sad to learn that two people are confirmed to have lost their lives, including a Chinese citizen, and a number of people remain unaccounted for” at Mount Maunganui, said Wang Xiaolong, China’s ambassador to New Zealand, on X.

“Our hearts are with the impacted families at this difficult moment.”

Elsewhere on North Island, the search has resumed for a missing man who had been swept away into Mahurangi River, north of Auckland, on Wednesday.

His wife told RNZ that their family was still holding out hope for the 47-year-old, who had been a fisherman in Kiribati before moving to New Zealand in 2003. He knew how to swim and dive, and had seen big waves, she said.