New Zealand Landslides Kill Two, Leave Six Missing

Rescue teams in New Zealand continued searching for at least six missing people on Friday after two landslides struck the North Island, burying parts of a popular campsite under tonnes of mud and debris. The incidents, triggered by record-breaking rainfall, occurred on Thursday in the Bay of Plenty region, claiming at least two lives and leaving emergency responders racing against unstable terrain.

The first landslide hit a residential property in the Welcome Bay area of Papamoa at 4:50 a.m. local time. Police reports indicated that two occupants escaped, but the bodies of a child and his grandmother were later recovered from the rubble. Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell confirmed the fatalities, noting that one other person from that site had been seriously injured earlier.

Hours later, a second slide struck the Beachside Holiday Park at the base of Mount Maunganui, a dormant volcano and tourist hotspot. Debris crushed caravans, vehicles, and a shower block, flattening tents and scattering campers. Authorities listed six individuals as unaccounted for, including two teenagers—one as young as 15—and at least one young girl. Three additional campers who had not checked...