Mount Maunganui, New Zealand — In a grim but long-feared development, New Zealand Police have officially confirmed that human remains have been discovered in the debris field left by the catastrophic landslide that struck the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park early Thursday morning, January 23, 2026.

The announcement came during a tense 4:30 p.m. press conference on Friday, January 24, led by Inspector Paul Algie of the Bay of Plenty District. “We can now confirm that human remains have been located within the slide zone,” Algie said. “Recovery efforts are continuing under extremely difficult conditions, and formal identification will be carried out as soon as possible. We expect to release the identities of those recovered later today.”

What has left investigators, emergency personnel and the public particularly shaken is the precision with which the remains were located — matching almost exactly the coordinates and area several survivors and witnesses had pointed to in the hours immediately following the slide.

Multiple campers who escaped the initial wave told police and media that they heard prolonged screams coming from a specific lower section of the campground near the shower block and the main access path. “They were yelling ‘Help us, please help us!’ for about 15 minutes,” one survivor recounted. “Then it just… stopped. Completely silent. We told the rescuers exactly where the voices came from.” Sniffer dogs and ground-penetrating radar teams were directed to that precise spot first — and that is where the first confirmed remains were found.

The landslide, triggered by 72 hours of relentless heavy rainfall saturating the steep volcanic slopes above the park, buried a large portion of the lower campground under metres of mud, boulders and twisted trees. At least 14 people were pulled alive from the debris on Thursday, many with severe crush injuries, fractures and hypothermia. Four fatalities were confirmed by late Thursday, including an unnamed woman who ran through the site waking people up before being swallowed by the slide herself.

As of Friday afternoon, six people remain unaccounted for, including several children. Rescue teams continue working under floodlights, but officials stress that ongoing instability, heavy rain forecast, and the sheer volume of material make every recovery operation high-risk and painfully slow.

The Mount Maunganui community remains in deep shock. A memorial vigil is growing along the beach, with ribbons, candles, teddy bears and handwritten notes now stretching for hundreds of metres. A Givealittle page for the victims’ families has raised over NZ$800,000 in less than 48 hours.

Emergency Management Minister Kris Faafoi has confirmed a full independent inquiry will examine the campsite’s safety protocols, evacuation plans, warning systems and whether adequate risk assessments were in place given the extreme weather forecast. Temporary closures remain in effect across affected areas of the beach and campground.

For the families still waiting — some holding photos of missing children, others clinging to phones hoping for a miracle message — every update feels heavier than the last. The screams that lasted 15 minutes before silence fell have become the sound no one who heard them will ever forget.

Police reiterated their plea: anyone with information, dashcam footage, or private CCTV from the area between 4:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. on January 23 should come forward immediately.

New Zealand holds its breath. The search continues. And for six families, time is running out.