Record-breaking rainfall has triggered severe flooding and landslides across New Zealand’s North Island, leaving at least two people dead and search and rescue operations ongoing for several missing persons, including a child, according to authorities.

Emergency services confirmed that one of the deadliest incidents occurred on Thursday at a campground located on the slopes of Mount Maunganui, a major tourist destination and a site regarded as sacred by the Māori people. A powerful landslide overturned caravans, crushed tents, and damaged toilet and shower facilities. The campground was fully evacuated. While cries for help were initially heard from the area, officials later reported that no further signs of life were detected.

At the same time, another landslide struck a residential house in the Welcome Bay area. Two residents managed to escape, but the bodies of two people trapped under the debris were recovered hours later.New Zealand’s Minister for Emergency Management Mark Mitchell said parts of the eastern coast resembled a war zone, noting that families stranded on rooftops were rescued by helicopters. “The situation is extremely fragile and constantly changing. Everyone is doing their best, but we are facing an exceptionally difficult scenario,” Mitchell said.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand reported that around 40 firefighters, supported by urban search and rescue teams and sniffer dogs, were deployed at Mount Maunganui. Two excavators were sent to the area, though operations were repeatedly suspended due to the risk of further slope collapse.

Police said the number of missing persons is believed to be in the single digits, while warning that some campers may have left the area without notifying authorities, complicating rescue efforts.Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos. Australian tourist Sonny Worrall said he heard “a sound like thunder” before trees cracked and the entire hillside collapsed, calling it “the most terrifying moment” of his life.

Officials said the Bay of Plenty region recorded its wettest day on record, with 295 millimeters of rainfall in Tauranga within about 30 hours, an amount equivalent to nearly two and a half months of rain. Rivers overflowed, roads collapsed, and thousands of homes were left without electricity.

Local states of emergency were declared across parts of Northland, the Coromandel Peninsula, Tairāwhiti, Hauraki, and Bay of Plenty. Authorities urged residents in low-lying areas to evacuate and avoid non-essential travel.Since Tuesday, emergency services have responded to more than 230 weather-related calls, while the National Emergency Management Agency warned that fully saturated ground and further heavy rainfall could trigger additional landslides and flooding.(ILKHA)