A teen who died last week in a New Zealand landslide has been officially identified at a hearing on what would have been his 16th birthday.
He was identified as Max Furse-Kee on Wednesday, January 28, one of the six victims who died in the landslide at Mount Maungaunui, on the North Island of New Zealand.
On January 22, a landslide hit Mount Maunganui, burying people under dirt and debris and causing widespread damage.
Furse-Kee’s body was found several days after the landslide on Monday, January 26.
Senior Constable Robert Stokes confirmed that the body has been released to his family.
Furse-Kee and his girlfriend, Sharon Maccanico, died after the campground they were staying at was struck by the deadly landslide that killed four others: 50-year-old Lisa Anne Maclennan, 20-year-old Mans Loke Bernhardsson, and Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, and Susan Doreen Knowles, both 71.
Furse-Kee’s family described the victim as a “kind, incredible, and beautiful” teen.
As families mourn their loved ones, first responders continue to search the scene for other victims. In a Wednesday update, authorities said recovery teams were making good progress but still had many days of work ahead.
He added that the process is slow, as crews are digging through the debris millimeter by millimeter.
Meanwhile, Furse-Kee’s family is reflecting on the full life he had, saying life without him is “impossible to imagine” and that they are “endlessly proud” of the person he was.
According to New Zealand Police, a separate landslide also claimed the lives of a 10-year-old boy and his grandmother after the home they were in was severely damaged.
In a statement, the family said the pair were deeply close. Austen was the only child of his parents, Angel and Keith, and Fang’s sole grandchild.
He was just eight months old when the family relocated from Shanghai to New Zealand.
The weekend before the incident, the family had gone to the Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival and surprised the boy with the motocross bike he had always wanted.
