‘Gifted’ 10-Year-Old Boy and Grandmother Identified as Victims of Deadly Landslides, Recovery Efforts for Missing Continue

need to know

• Two victims of New Zealand’s deadly landslide identified

• On Tuesday, January 27, police confirmed that 10-year-old Austen Keith Richardson and his grandmother Yao Fang died after a landslide struck the house on January 22. A second landslide also hit a nearby campsite and police are searching for six people reported missing.

• “We are devastated by the loss of our precious son and his beloved grandma,” their family said in a statement.

Two victims of a deadly landslide that hit homes and campsites in a popular New Zealand tourist area have been identified.

New Zealand police confirmed the names of two victims of a landslide on nearby Mount Maunganui in a press release on Tuesday, January 27. Mount Maunganui is an extinct volcanic dome known for its sandy beaches and hiking trails.

Austen Keith Richardson, 10, and his grandmother Yao Fang, 71, were living at a property on Welcome Bay Rd, Papamoa when the home was damaged in the disaster on Thursday, January 22. Their deaths have been referred to the coroner, according to New Zealand police.

“Austin and his grandmother were very close and Austin affectionately called her Grandma,” the family said in a statement to police.

Austin is the only child of parents Keith and Angel, and Fang’s only grandchild.

He was just 8 months old when his family moved to New Zealand from Shanghai, China, where his grandmother also spent a lot of time.

“Austin had just graduated from New Taki School, where he excelled in the Montessori class,” his family continued in the statement, according to New Zealand Police. “It was a perfect fit for his personality. He has been accepted to Bethlehem College and will soon start Year 7 at the school.”

“Austin was a talented musician who loved the piano, had a highly mechanical mind and enjoyed building Lego, riding motorcycles, Pokémon and solving math equations,” the family recalled. “The weekend before tragedy struck, we visited the Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival and surprised him on the way home with his dream motocross bike given to him by a friend. This will always be a treasured memory.”

Family members revealed Austin had many friends from the annual Honda Kids Camp in Lake Rotoiti. He speaks fluent Mandarin and enjoys traveling back to China with his family.

The family said they felt “lucky” because his grandmother, Ms. Fang, spent a lot of time with them.

“She was a beautiful mother and grandmother, extremely loving, extremely generous and always put caring for others before herself,” they said in a statement provided to New Zealand police. “Fang worked as an architect in China while raising Angel as a single parent.”

“She loved New Zealand’s nature, helped us grow an incredible vegetable garden, looked after our chickens and joined our Chinese Methodist Church in Gretton,” the family continued. “We are grateful for the outpouring of support from family and friends, the wider community and emergency services and support agencies who have been by our side as we deal with this issue.”

“We are absolutely devastated by the loss of our precious son and his beloved nan,” they concluded. “We also sympathize with the other families affected by the tragedy at Mount Maunganui and what they are going through.”

Despite landslides destroying several properties, the police cordon on Yingbin Bay Road was lifted on Sunday morning. new zealand herald reported.

One neighbor told the outlet that Austin and Fang were “amazing people” as they gushed about the family’s willingness to help others.

“It’s just so unfair when this happens to a really lovely family, lovely people. You wouldn’t wish this to happen to anyone, but most importantly, they’re great people,” the neighbor said. Herald.

Chalium Poppy, director of music at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Mount Maunganui, arranged to take music lessons with Austin on the day of the landslide. He received text messages from family and friends expressing concern about Austin’s absence.

“To be honest, Austin’s death hasn’t been sunk in yet,” Poppy told the outlet. Herald. “As a music teacher, you get 1,000 calls from students and you know it’s tonsillitis or they’re not coming today, they have the flu. It’s like a call you never get, you never think they’re not going to come because they’re dead.”

On January 22, it was reported that a landslide occurred at a nearby campsite at a popular tourist hotspot, leaving many people missing. Among the missing were two teenagers.

The missing include Sharon Maccanico and Max Furse-Kee, 15, Lisa Maclennan, 50, old friends Jacqualine Wheeler and Susan Knowles, 71, and Swedish national Måns Loke Bernhardsson, 20. The Guardian.

Over the weekend, Bay of Plenty regional commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said operations had entered a recovery phase.

“Search teams have been working their way through the situation, but unfortunately, it is now clear that we will not be able to bring them home,” Anderson said. “We broke the news to the families this morning… They are going through something that few can understand, and we ask that they be given space to grieve.”

according to The Guardianhuman remains were discovered on Friday and are currently undergoing formal identification. The search had to be suspended on Sunday due to unstable conditions, but resumed this week.

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New Zealand Police announced in a press release on Monday, January 26, that restoration work had resumed based on the advice of two independent geotechnical experts. The search area where the landslide occurred was previously deemed “too dangerous” for teams to carry out work.

“Professional teams working in the shadow of Manga are always at risk, but sensitive monitoring equipment can now give us real-time visibility into environmental conditions,” Anderson said. “Slight movements can be tracked and we can lead people out of the immediate area below the landslide.”

“We are doing everything we can to protect those who are trying to reunite their loved ones with their families,” Anderson added. “Recovery teams are working methodically on the scene, but we still have many days of work to do.

“Due to conditions, there is no timetable for the completion of our work. This is a delicate operation that will take as long as it takes,” he concluded.

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