Khaberni - Authorities in New Zealand announced that the search for 6 believed to have perished after a landslide at one of the most popular camping sites in Beachside Holiday Park at the foot of Mount Maunganui, might take days, following a summer storm that struck the North Island last Thursday.
The authorities stated that heavy rain caused the soil to collapse, pushing rescue teams to temporarily suspend the search at the beginning of the weekend before resuming it today, Monday, despite the harsh and dangerous conditions. The ages of the missing range from 15 to 71 years old, including a Swedish tourist and an Italian teenager.
In a separate incident, the death toll from a landslide in West Java in Indonesia at the beginning of the week rose to 17, while dozens are still missing, according to the Indonesian Disaster Management Agency today, Monday.
The spokesperson for the Disaster Management Agency, Abdul Mahar, said that 73 people are still missing, while rescue teams are facing significant challenges due to bad weather, and additional landslides have hindered the use of drones and heavy equipment.
On his part, the commander of the Indonesian Navy Mohamed Ali announced that 23 naval officers who were participating in a training exercise on border patrols are still trapped under the rubble, confirming that the climate conditions have so far prevented the arrival of heavy equipment to the disaster site.
