New Zealand storms: people missing after landslide hits campsite as minister compares east coast to war zone'

"Emergency services in New Zealand are searching for several people, including a child, believed missing after a landslide hit a campsite during storms that have caused widespread damage across the North Island. Emergency minister Mark Mitchell told RNZ that parts of the east coast looked like a war zone, with helicopters deployed to rescue families sheltering on rooftops from flooding, and local states of emergency declared in five regions across Northland and the East Cape due to days of record-breaking torrential rain."

""It's a fluid and sensitive issue at the moment, he said. Everyone is working as hard as they can to get the best possible resolution possible, but in no doubt at all it is a very difficult and challenging situation. Footage from Mount Maunganui revealed overturned camper vans and upturned trees. Witnesses told local news outlets they heard an incredibly loud noise before seeing a large chunk of hillside hit the campsite."

"An Australian man, Sonny Worrall, narrowly escaped the landslide while swimming in a nearby pool. As I'm swimming I heard this huge landslide behind me, trees cracking, there was a caravan that almost hit me. I had to dive in the next pool, he told news outlet Stuff. It was the scariest thing I've ever felt in my life, he said."

Heavy, record-breaking torrential rain hit New Zealand's North Island, prompting local states of emergency in five regions across Northland and the East Cape. A landslide struck a campground at Mount Maunganui on Thursday morning, leaving overturned camper vans, upturned trees, widespread damage, and several people unaccounted for, including a young girl. Helicopters and rescue teams evacuated families from rooftops and remote locations. Tauranga recorded 295mm of rain in 30 hours before the landslide. Witnesses reported a loud noise and a chunk of hillside hitting the campsite. At least one person suffered serious injuries and multiple people remain missing amid ongoing searches.

Read at www.theguardian.com