Max’s aunty has paid tribute to him on Facebook, and said the days since the disaster have been “absolute torture for our family”.
A Morrinsville teacher and victim of the Mount Maunganui landslide is being hailed as a hero who warned other campers and saved lives in the process.
Lisa McClennan reportedly woke many holidaygoers at 5am to warn them that the bank above the camp was starting to crumble.
Lance Macfarlane told the NZ Herald he was asleep with his daughter in a tent when McClennan got them out of bed early Thursday.
“I think she saved us. We could have been asleep if she didn’t wake us up. I could have been still there sleeping when the big one came down,” he said.
Macfarlane said McClennan was staying in a campervan next to his tent, she told him her camper was hit by a small slip in the night, and she wanted to ensure he was safe.
Macfarlane said McClennan managed to get some of the other campers to move away from the base of the mountain.
“She was warning everyone that there were slips and she recommended that they move.”
“She said it felt like an earthquake [when mud hit her campervan]. She told me if she didn’t wake me up and warn us and then something happened, that it would forever be in the back of her mind.“I think she’s a hero. She has done her best but ended up being caught in it.”
Maclennan was a beloved literacy centre tutor at Morrinsville Intermediate School. Principal Jenny Clark told Stuff she couldn’t comment at this point in time.
“As you can imagine we are absolutely devastated.“
Six landslide victims identified
On Saturday afternoon police named the six people unaccounted for after the landslide, and said that, “tragically it is now apparent that we will not be able to bring them home alive”.
The victims are:
- Lisa Anne Maclennan, 50, from Morrinsville
- Måns Loke Bernhardsson, 20, from Sweden
- Jacqualine (Jackie) Suzanne Wheeler, 71, from Rotorua
- Susan (Sue) Doreen Knowles, 71, from Ngongotaha
- Sharon Maccanico, 15, from Auckland
- Max Furse-Kee, 15, from Auckland
The mother of Max Furse-Kee has told friends and family to hug their loved ones as “life can change in a moment”.
“Devastatingly my Max was one of the people trapped in the Mount Maunganui slip on Thursday morning,” Hannah Furse wrote in a post on Facebook, which she gave permission for Stuff to share.
“While he is still missing and we have no definite answers we know that when we do there will be no good news.
“There is nothing we need so please don’t message. If there are any updates we will leave them here. Hug your babies, life can change in a moment.”
“As his aunty, my heart is completely shattered,” she wrote. “I know my brother – your Dad, will be waiting with open arms to guide you on your next journey.
“You are so deeply loved, and you always will be. We will hold onto your smile, your laughter, and the beautiful memories you gave us forever.”
Pakūranga College has acknowledged the deaths of Furse-Kee and Sharon Maccanico, also aged 15.
“The college has been in contact with both families to express our heartfelt sympathy and aroha,” a post on its Facebook page stated.
“Many members of the college have been deeply impacted by the news and we are working to support students and staff in the coming days and weeks. The wellbeing of our college community is paramount as the school year starts next week under incredibly sad circumstances.
“Parents have received an email this afternoon with advice and information for supporting their child/ren as they process this distressing event. Arohanui x”
Photos and posts on the east Auckland school’s accounts show Furse-Kee recently received an award for basketball.
“The college has been in contact with both families to express our heartfelt sympathy and aroha,” a post on its Facebook page stated.
“Many members of the college have been deeply impacted by the news and we are working to support students and staff in the coming days and weeks. The wellbeing of our college community is paramount as the school year starts next week under incredibly sad circumstances.
“Parents have received an email this afternoon with advice and information for supporting their child/ren as they process this distressing event. Arohanui x”
Photos and posts on the east Auckland school’s accounts show Furse-Kee recently received an award for basketball.
It is understood Sue Knowles, a grandmother, holidayed at Mount Maunganui every year.
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell has identified Knowles as a property manager for EVES, and Wheeler as the co-founder of the interior design store Colour Concepts, which has operated in the city for more than 20 years.
“We send our love and prayers to those who have lost their loved ones. The pain is impossible to imagine,” Tapsell wrote on social media.
Team digging layer-by-layer
Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said slip teams had worked layer by layer, but it “is now apparent that we will not be able to bring them home alive”.
Search teams have located human remains under the slip and formal identification is proceeding, Anderson said.
It is understood Sue Knowles, a grandmother, holidayed at Mount Maunganui every year.
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell has identified Knowles as a property manager for EVES, and Wheeler as the co-founder of the interior design store Colour Concepts, which has operated in the city for more than 20 years.
“We send our love and prayers to those who have lost their loved ones. The pain is impossible to imagine,” Tapsell wrote on social media.
Team digging layer-by-layer
Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said slip teams had worked layer by layer, but it “is now apparent that we will not be able to bring them home alive”.
Search teams have located human remains under the slip and formal identification is proceeding, Anderson said.
“The welfare of those on the search ground is of utmost importance and we’re offering them support if they need it.”
Police said responsibility for identifying the victims, along with other legal processes, had passed to the Coroners Court. An internationally approved process for disaster victim identification (DVI) is being followed.
Chief Coroner Judge Anna Tutton reassured families and friends that their deceased loved one would be cared for with dignity and respect.
“Victims will be transported to the Hamilton mortuary, where any post mortem examinations required will be performed, and, with the assistance of Police and other specialists, coroners will determine the identity of the victims. In circumstances like this, identification can be a painstaking, complex process, especially when people are severely injured – and that process takes time.
“I can’t say how long the identification process will take – but I give my absolute assurance that we will work very carefully – and as quickly as we can – to reunite families.”