Several people are missing after a landslide struck a camping site at the base of Mauao, Mount Maunganui on the North Island of New Zealand.
The slip, described as a "major incident", happened about 9.30am, local time, hitting campervans, cars, tents and a toilet and shower block.
There are sniffer dogs at the scene as emergency services try to find anyone trapped at the Beachside Holiday Park, about 230 kilometres south-east of Auckland.
Fire and Emergency commander William Pike said first responders heard voices from under the rubble when they arrived, but nothing else since.
He said nobody has been rescued yet, but crews would keep searching.
Police District Commander Assistant Commissioner Tim Anderson said he could not say how many people were missing, but it was in single figures.
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell has confirmed a young girl is among the missing, and RNZ understands other children may be unaccounted-for.
At a media briefing on Thursday afternoon, Mr Mitchell said it was still a "rescue operation" and a fluid ongoing situation.
[map]Fire and Emergency New Zealand and other first responders were working as quickly as possible, but the stability of the land and safety issues needed to be taken into account, he said.
"We're still in a response phase, there is still a lot of activity going on, there's still a lot of work being done to understand exactly what damage has occurred," he said.
"We know that we've had multiple slips, infrastructure down, working hard to get power restored.
"Obviously, a real priority is the recovery of people and the rescue operation that is happening."
Geoscientists would conduct a full assessment of the area before it reopened to assure the public that it was safe, he said.
Emergency crews search through mud
A Tauranga resident living near the campground said she watched emergency staff digging through the mud.
Robyn, who lives in an apartment nearby, said nobody had been found yet.
She said people were digging through the dirt for about an hour before stopping.
She said she saw ambulances leaving the scene without anyone inside, but police were still there.
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale says it is an evolving situation.
"We're having to work through all the lists of those who are checked in. We don't know the exact number.
"The ablution block is the biggest area of concern, but there is a campervan and tents that were around that area as well."
Some people had checked out of the campground without notifying authorities, which hindered efforts to confirm how many were missing, he said.
Dozens of firefighters on scene
A witness, Nix Jaques, was about to walk up the mountain when she heard an incredibly loud noise.
"I turned around, and I could see the land coming down onto some structures," she said.
"There were some vehicles that were moved. It came down on an ablutions block — I believe there were some people in the showers — and it shifted a campervan, there was a family with a campervan."
She spoke to a couple missing a child and tried to help in the early stages, but said emergency services arrived quite quickly afterwards.
St John Ambulance has declared a major incident, and police, firefighters, and ambulance workers are at the scene.
Fire and Emergency's shift manager, Paul Radden, said 40 firefighters, including an urban search and rescue team, were responding.
The slip was in the south-eastern corner of the holiday park.
The Mount Maunganui Surf Life Saving Club was being used as a triage centre and evacuation point.
The rest of the campsite has been evacuated.
Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford asked members of the public to keep those impacted in their thoughts — and not to come to the area to allow clear access for rescuers.
RNZ
