Today's Edition
MOUNT MAUNGANUI (AFP)
Efforts to rescue at least six people buried alive by a landslide at a New Zealand holiday park ended Saturday, with police shifting into a recovery operation.
Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said human remains had been uncovered beneath the mountains of dirt and debris that crashed into a campsite in Mount Maunganui on Thursday, adding that it could take several days to locate all of the victims.
Two teenagers are among those missing after heavy rains triggered the landslide at the island's east coast, bringing down soil and rubble at the site in the city of Tauranga, crowded with families on summer holidays. The youngest of the missing is aged 15.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said on Saturday that 35 rescue workers, assisted by heavy machinery, had removed debris at the site after a partial slip in a section of the search area around 6pm local time on Friday.
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.
