In a sombre start to Thursday's broadcast, ITV's Good Morning Britain presenters Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley delivered what they described as "very difficult" breaking news, focusing on a devastating landslide in New Zealand. The popular morning show, which airs weekdays at 6am on ITV1 and ITVX, was fronted by the duo, who provided viewers with the latest updates from both domestic and international scenes.
Urgent Reports from Mount Maunganui
Within moments of the programme going live, Reid and Madeley disclosed that several individuals, including at least one young girl, are missing following a landslide at a campsite in Mount Maunganui, a renowned tourism destination on New Zealand's North Island. They were joined in the studio by weather presenter Laura Tobin and newsreader Ranvir Singh, who covered additional headlines and described the incident as a "dramatic weather event on the other side of the world."
Emergency Response and Eyewitness Accounts
Emergency services have reported no signs of life at the site, with rescuers and sniffer dogs desperately digging through debris. In a pre-recorded package, correspondent Lorna Shaddick highlighted the severity, stating, "A sunny holiday spot obliterated in seconds. Caravans crushed, tents flattened, and lives upended." Australian holidaymaker Sonny Worrall recounted the terrifying moment, saying, "I heard this huge tree crack and all this dirt come off behind me, there was a caravan coming right behind me. It was the scariest thing I've ever experienced in my life."
Superintendent Tim Anderson noted the ongoing risks, explaining, "Whilst the land's still moving, they're in a risky mission to rescue those people, so I can't be drawn on numbers, but what I can say is that it's single figures." Eyewitnesses initially heard voices from the rubble, but emergency teams had to withdraw due to the threat of another landslip.
Record-Breaking Rainfall and Wider Impact
Mount Maunganui, a dormant volcano with a holiday park beneath it, has experienced its wettest day on record, receiving over two months' worth of rainfall within twelve hours. This extreme weather has led to power cuts, hazardous flooding, and forecasters labelling it a "once-in-a-hundred-year event." In a related incident, Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell confirmed that two bodies were retrieved from a separate landslide at Welcome Bay in Papamoa, which had previously left two missing and one seriously injured.
Mitchell described the situation as "fluid and sensitive," adding, "Everyone is working as hard as they can to get the best possible resolution, but it is a very difficult and challenging situation." The coverage on Good Morning Britain underscored the global reach of such natural disasters and the urgent efforts underway to address the aftermath.
