Attributable to Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson:
Police can now confirm six people are currently confirmed as unaccounted for, including two teenagers, following yesterday’s landslide at Mount Maunganui.
The youngest of those missing is 15 years old.
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.
Police are asking anyone with video footage of the slip at Mt Maunganui yesterday to upload it via this online portal.
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.
You can do so through our 105 service, referencing Operation Sunbrae.
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.
I can confirm one of those parties was a Chinese national and we continue to liaise with overseas officials regarding this matter.
There are still thousands of people across the region affected by this weather event, and Police, alongside other agencies, are working to support our communities.
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.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre