Several people are missing after a landslide struck a campsite at Mount Maunganui, a popular New Zealand holiday destination, following a tropical storm that triggered severe flooding across the North Island.
Emergency services were called to the location Thursday morning, and the holiday park has now been evacuated, police said in a statement. Tents, campervans and a toilet block were hit by the debris, local media reported. Video footage shows firefighters searching through a damaged building.
States of local emergency have been declared across the country¡¯s northernmost region and parts of the east coast, including summer holiday destinations on the Coromandel Peninsula and in the Bay of Plenty.
Thousands of people remain without power, while floodwaters have cut off entire towns.
Police are continuing to search for a man who was swept away yesterday by a swollen river near the town of Warkworth, north of Auckland, according to a statement. Local media reported two other people are missing after a landslide in Papamoa, near Tauranga.
The prolonged heavy rain was caused by a tropical low that struck the country, national forecaster MetService said.
"These impacts are likely to be long and far-reaching and may extend into the long weekend ahead for popular holiday hotspots,¡± MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said. Businesses and public offices are closed on Jan. 26 for Auckland¡¯s anniversary day.
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