TL:DR – Children Cry for Help as Massive Landslide Engulfs Campsite in the UK
- A devastating landslide at Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park in New Zealand has buried several campers, including children, amid record rainfall.
- Heroes emerged, with one woman alerting others before becoming trapped in a toilet block.
- Rescuers heard cries for help, but after 15 minutes, silence fell.
- Search efforts continue, involving police dog squads and emergency services, as fears grow for the missing campers following this tragic event at the New Zealand campsite.
- Authorities urge people to heed local warnings to stay safe.
Children heard screaming for help after giant landslide buries campsite | News World
Tragic Landslide at New Zealand Campsite Leaves Campers Missing
Several campers, including children, are feared to be buried in rubble after a huge landslide destroyed a holiday campsite in New Zealand.
Details of the Incident
People were heard screaming from inside a toilet block at Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park on the country’s North Island before the cries for help went silent after about 15 minutes. The hillside collapsed onto the popular holiday spot on Thursday morning local time after days of record-breaking rain. One woman has been hailed a hero for warning others of the danger, before she then became trapped in the toilet block.
Ongoing Rescue Efforts
Rescuers are desperately trying to save the missing campers from inside the block, with authorities hoping that some could be found alive. One of the first rescuers on the scene recalled hearing shouts of “help us” as he tried to free holidaymakers. Mark Tangney told the New Zealand Herald: “There were six or eight other guys there on the roof of the toilet block with tools just trying to take the roof off because we could hear people screaming ‘help us, help us, get us out of here.’ We went hard for about half an hour and after 15 minutes, the people that were trapped, we couldn’t hear them anymore.”
A witness, who preferred to remain unnamed, described the heroic actions of a woman who saved many lives by alerting others to move out before the disaster struck.
Eyewitness Accounts
Witnesses ran for their lives after they noticed the trees around the hills moving just moments before the landslip. Sonny Worrall was swimming in a nearby hot pool when he heard a tree crack. He told TVNZ: “I looked behind me and there was a huge landslide coming down. I turned around and I had to jump out from my seat as fast as I could and just run. Looking behind me, there was a caravan coming right behind me. It all happened in a flash. I was fearing for my life. People were panicking everywhere.”
Another pair of witnesses, Bruce Cortesi and Olly Collier, recalled seeing swimmers escaping the pools with dirt on their faces after the landslide wiped out the campsite in mere seconds.
Search and Recovery Operations
A police dog squad joined the search efforts on Thursday, but no missing campers have yet been found. Fire and Emergency NZ commander William Park stated, “We’re going right through [the night] until we’ve rescued everyone. It was a significant landslip and the priority was life safety. It’s a complex and high-risk environment.”
Minister Mark Mitchell acknowledged the heroic actions of first responders, police, and firefighters during this tragic event. A second landslide formed behind the Mount Maunganui surf club on Thursday afternoon, necessitating the evacuation of the building housing people affected by the first landslip.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who is scheduled to visit the site tomorrow, emphasized that the government will do all it can to support those affected.
“We continue to urge people in affected areas to follow the advice of local authorities,” he tweeted. Other landslides have struck across New Zealand after parts of the country saw close to 300mm of rain within 30 hours. Tragically, two people have already been reported dead due to a landslide in the Welcome Bay area.