MOUNT MAUNGANUI, New Zealand: Efforts to rescue at least six people buried alive by a landslide at a New Zealand holiday park ended on Saturday (Jan 24), with police shifting their focus to recovering human remains.
Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said it could take several days to locate all of the bodies, after a mountain of dirt and debris tumbled onto a campsite in Mount Maunganui on Thursday.
Anderson said it was “heartbreaking” that six people remained unaccounted for, including a 15-year-old, after camper vans, caravans and a shower block were buried in a mudslide brought on by heavy rain.
For the past two days, the holiday town in the northern part of the country has staged a series of vigils, holding out hope that the search and rescue personnel would be successful.
Anderson said, however, it had become apparent there was little chance anyone buried had survived.
“This is heartbreaking news for us and obviously the families involved,” he told reporters on Saturday, describing the rescue operation as complex.
“There’s still a lot of mud and other aspects, so my primary consideration today is actually the safety of the staff working on it.
“There are really strict parameters around those that are working on site right now.”
