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Cameron Avery/Sun Media
A house was crushed and has collapsed after a landslide in the Tauranga suburb of Maungatapu.
The houses in Egret Avenue Tauranga that have been crushed by the slip are now sectioned off by tape with police guarding the scene.
Neighbour Lynne Sampson lives further up the street in the suburb of Maungatapu and was woken up by the phone, with a friend asking if she was okay.
She rushed out to help.
“The bank came down on two houses and it’s clipped another by the looks. One is completely crushed.
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“It was just devastation. There were kids from the house crying. I can’t believe how they got out. The main thing is that they are all safe.
“There was a swarm of people trying to help them. Emergency services arrived really quickly.
The boys from the house told me that they had stock cars in the garage and said that there’s a bin destroyed.
“I really feel for them. I told them they could come to my lounge.”
Outside the house, a white car was also damaged by the landslide. Police confirmed no one was injured.
The slip also affected three other houses on the other side of the street, which were also evacuated.
Dina and Kelly Cotter live on Taipari Street at the top of the bank with their dog Lola. “We saw all the lights and thought there was a water rescue going on. It is only when we came down that we saw the houses and the bank and we were totally shocked.”
Cotter said neighbours who had not evacuated were worried fresh onslaughts of rain could move the slip further.
There is a row of houses on top of the bank.
“The worrying thing is that there’s more rain coming so there could be more slips, and look at the houses that are in the way“
Cotter said that nine houses were evacuated, including the two houses that had been destroyed .
Another slip came down overnight in Welcome Bay, Tauranga on Welcome Bay Rd and is blocking the road.
The Tauranga City Council shared an update about the situation on Facebook overnight.
“We’re aware of an incident involving house damage on Egret Avenue in Maungatapu. Some residents of Egret Avenue have been evacuated and an area is cordoned off by Police. Our building inspectors will be onsite later this morning to evaluate the damage, and we will provide updates when we have more information.
“Our thoughts are with the community and affected residents on Egret Avenue. Residents should follow the advice of Bay of Plenty Civil Defence and the New Zealand Police, and keep up to date with the latest weather information on the MetService New Zealand website. Kia kaha everyone.”
Police said there was widespread flooding across the Bay of Plenty and roads have been heavily affected by slips.
“People in those areas should stay put and not attempt to travel on the roads.”
Anyone in the Bay of Plenty required to evacuate would be contacted directly by Civil Defence or emergency services staff.
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