A serious landslide occurred at a holiday park at the foot of Mount Maunganui in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island on the 22nd, resulting in at least two deaths and several missing persons. The Chinese Embassy in New Zealand stated that, after preliminary verification, one Chinese national is among the deceased. The Embassy has made contact with the family of the victim and expressed condolences.
The tragedy took place at around 9 a.m. local time on the 22nd, when soil from the dormant volcano Mount Maunganui slid onto a popular campsite and a nearby house. Reportedly, heavy rain had fallen in the area the previous night. New Zealand Assistant Police Commissioner Anderson, when asked about the number of missing persons at a press conference, said: “I can't give an exact number, only that it's less than 10.” Local media reported that children are among those missing.
Emergency rescue officials said that they heard sounds coming from under the rubble. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing.