By Samuel McKeith
SYDNEY, Jan 24 (Reuters) – New Zealand rescuers seeking six missing people after a landslide hit a busy campground on the country’s North Island were hampered overnight due to a partial landslide in the search area, authorities said on Saturday.
Two teenagers are among those missing after heavy rains triggered Thursday’s landslide at Mount Maunganui on the island’s east coast, bringing down soil and rubble at the site in the city of Tauranga, crowded with families on summer holidays. No deaths resulting from the natural disaster have been reported.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said on Saturday that 35 rescue workers, assisted by heavy machinery, were removing debris at the site after a partial slip in a section of the search area around 6 p.m. local time on Friday.
“Personnel have not searched that area since for their safety, but it is being continuously reassessed,” fire and emergency official Megan Stiffler said in a statement.
Heavy rain forecast in the area on Saturday could present further challenges for rescuers, including having “to withdraw from the slip area for their safety”, she said.
The authorities on Friday said rescue efforts could take several days due to the scale of the landslide and risks at the site.
No signs of life have been detected from the rubble since voices initially heard by first responders on Thursday, police have said. The youngest of the missing is aged 15.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visited the site on Friday and met affected families. “They are grieving incredibly hard, and I know that New Zealand grieves with them,” he said.
The heavy rain this week unleashed another landslide in the neighbouring suburb of Papamoa, killing two.
(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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