Two Dead in New Zealand Landslides

(MENAFN) Two fatalities have been confirmed following a devastating landslide that obliterated a residence in Papamoa on New Zealand's North Island eastern shoreline during the early morning hours Thursday, authorities reported.

The dwelling on Welcome Bay Road in Tauranga's coastal Papamoa neighborhood sustained catastrophic structural damage when the earth collapsed around 4:15 a.m., prompting emergency evacuations of multiple adjacent properties, New Zealand police confirmed.

Recovery crews retrieved both victims' remains from the demolished structure Thursday evening.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addressed the disaster via the social media platform X, characterizing the recent weather events as "a profound tragedy, claiming lives and devastating livelihoods," adding that "New Zealand is heavy with grief."

In a separate Thursday incident, multiple individuals—including minors—remain unaccounted for after another massive hillside collapse struck a recreational camping facility at Mount Maunganui's base in the Bay of Plenty region along the North Island's eastern coastline.

The debris flow tore through mobile homes, vehicles, camping structures, thermal bathing areas, and sanitation facilities around 9:30 a.m. local time, forcing widespread site evacuations.

Torrential rainfall and severe flooding hammered sections of the North Island through the night, cutting electricity to thousands of residents and severing access to isolated coastal communities on the island's eastern perimeter.

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