The landslide occurred on the morning of Thursday, Jan. 22, at Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island
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Officials are pictured at the scene after a landslide occurred at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand on Jan. 22, 2026.Credit : DJ MILLS / AFP via Getty
Two teenagers are among six people still missing after a landslide ripped through a popular tourist area on New Zealand’s North Island, police have said.
The landslide occurred on Thursday, Jan. 22, at around 9:30 a.m. local time at Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcanic dome known for its sandy beaches and hiking trails. It struck the Beachside Holiday Park, crashing into RVs, tents, vehicles, and a communal restroom facility near the Mount Hot Pools, according to Radio New Zealand (RNZ).
Earlier that morning, two people sadly died after a separate landslide “extensively damaged” a home on Welcome Bay Road in the suburb of Papamoa, police said in a previous news release.
In an update on Friday, Jan. 23, Bay of Plenty District Commander, Superintendent Tim Anderson, said that rescuers were still searching for multiple people following the Mount Maunganui landslide. The youngest of those unaccounted for is 15 years old, per a news release.
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A search is underway for missing people following the Mount Maunganui, New Zealand landslide.DJ MILLS / AFP via Getty
“Police can now confirm six people are currently confirmed as unaccounted for, including two teenagers,” Anderson said.
He added, “We have been unable to establish the whereabouts of three further individuals. While we do not currently believe they were involved in the slip, further enquiries are required to rule it out.”
“Those three parties are believed to be tourists, and we believe it is likely they left the area,” Anderson continued, per the release.
The officer urged anybody with video footage of the landslide to upload it online onto a police portal, saying, “Additionally, anyone who might have information that could help our enquiries into the three parties whose whereabouts are yet to be determined is also asked to get in touch.”
Anderson continued, “We are wrapping support around the families of those whose loved ones are unaccounted for.”
“We would also like to acknowledge the wider community, who have similarly shown such an outpouring of support and empathy for those affected, including the family of those who died in Welcome Bay,” he added, confirming that one of the deceased was a Chinese national.
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A search is underway for missing people following the Mount Maunganui, New Zealand landslide.Ben STRANG / AFP via Getty
According to RNZ, the two killed were a grandmother and a grandchild. The outlet stated that another person at the property had been seriously injured.
“We continue to liaise with overseas officials regarding this matter,” the officer said regarding the Welcome Bay tragedy, adding that there were “still thousands of people across the region affected” by the extreme weather the country had been having.
Anderson shared, “In Welcome Bay, where a number of evacuations were carried out, Police are carrying out additional patrols around those vacant properties until residents can return.”
“Police will continue to work with our partners to support the ongoing operation at Mount Maunganui as the first priority, and will also continue to deploy our staff across the region where they are most needed,” he concluded, per the release.
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Anderson told reporters in a media conference that police would make a call “day by day” as to when the operation would move from a rescue to a recovery mission, according to RNZ, saying on Friday that there had been no signs of life underneath the rubble “as of today.”
However, the officer added, “We live in hope,” per the outlet, after saying it was very much “a rescue operation” still.
PEOPLE has reached out to New Zealand Police for additional information.
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