Dramatic aerial photos have revealed the utter destruction of a building after it collapsed following a landslide in Orua Bay Beach at Manukau Heads - trapping a person for more than two hours.
Three people were injured, two seriously, after the structure collapsed. The photos show a major slip behind the building, which is on the shoreline.
A Fire and Emergency (FENZ) spokesperson said six firetrucks were sent to the scene of the structure collapse, which they said was caused by a landslide.
One person was trapped for more than two hours, the spokesperson said.
“They were freed at approximately 2.15pm and transported to hospital. Five USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) personnel were called to the scene to assist with the retrieval of the trapped individual.”
Three people are injured after a building collapsed in Orua Bay Beach at Manukau Heads. Photo / Michael Craig
Two patients suffered serious injuries and one other suffered minor injuries.
A seriously-injured person was being flown to Middlemore Hospital and another in a minor condition was being taken there by ambulance, a spokesperson for St John Ambulance said. The other seriously injured person was flown to Auckland Hospital.
Auckland International Airport also assisted in the rescue, sending in a hovercraft with four additional USAR personnel.
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A geo-technician and structural engineer attended, the FENZ spokesperson said, to assess the risk to other buildings, which resulted in five other houses being evacuated as a precaution.
The scene from the collapsed building in Orua Bay Beach at Manukau Heads after the landslide. Photo / Michael Craig
An Orua Bay local told the Herald she understood an elderly couple were involved in the collapse, with a man suffering a badly broken leg and an elderly woman was trapped.
Find full coverage of the Auckland Floods here.
Three people were injured and taken to hospital. Photo / Michael Craig
The building collapsed in Orua Bay Beach at Manukau Heads. Photo / Michael Craig
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