New Zealand landslips kill at least 2, others missing

MOUNT MAUNGANUI: Landslides ploughed into a home and a campsite in rain-swept northern New Zealand on Thursday, killing at least two people and leaving others missing under tonnes of mud.
Rescuers used heavy machinery to dig through the mass of earth that moved after heavy overnight rain in New Zealand's North Island.
Emergency workers retrieved two bodies from the remains of a buried home in the harbourside city of Tauranga, police said.
'Police are working to support their loved ones at this incredibly difficult time,' a spokesperson said.
Multiple people were missing after a chunk of earth from Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcano, slid into a popular campsite nearby.
The region is a big tourist draw in summer, with hikers heading up the mountain and thousands lured by white sand beaches.
The mud smashed into a shower block, threw around camper vans and spread into an adjoining heated pool complex.
Voices were briefly heard calling for help from beneath the rubble, witnesses and emergency officials said. 'Whilst the land's still moving there, they're in a rescue mission,' Assistant Police Commissioner Tim Anderson told reporters at the scene. - AFP