More than 670 feared dead in Papua New Guinea landslide

SYDNEY:

More than 670 people are believed to have died in a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea, the UN migration agency said on Sunday, as rescue efforts continued.

Media in the South Pacific nation, north of Australia, had previously estimated Friday’s landslide had buried more than 300 people. However, more than 48 hours later, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the death toll could more than double, as the full extent of the disaster is still unclear and continuing dangerous conditions on the ground are hampering aid and rescue efforts. .

Only five bodies had been recovered from the rubble so far.

The agency based its estimate of the death toll on information provided by officials in the village of Yambali in Enga province, who say more than 150 houses were buried in Friday’s landslide, said Serhan Aktoprak, the agency’s Papua mission chief. New Guinea in an email statement. .

“The land is still sliding, the rocks are falling, the soil is cracking due to the continuous increased pressure and the groundwater is running, so the area is an extreme danger for everyone,” said Aktoprak.

Also read: Over 300 buried in Papua New Guinea landslide, local media report

More than 250 houses in the surrounding area have been abandoned by residents, who had taken temporary shelter with their relatives and friends, and about 1,250 people have been displaced, the agency said.

“People use digging sticks, sticks, large agricultural forks to remove the bodies buried under the soil,” Aktoprak said.

The IOM said a primary school, small businesses and stalls, a hostel and a gas station were also buried.

The UN office in Papua New Guinea said five bodies were recovered from an area where 50 to 60 houses had been destroyed and a number of injuries were reported, including at least 20 women and children.

The IOM said the community in this village was relatively young and it was feared that most of the victims would be children aged 15 or younger.

Community mourning

Social media footage posted by villagers and local media groups shows people clambering over rocks, uprooted trees and mounds of dirt in search of survivors. In the background, women could be heard crying.

The landslide hit a section of highway near the Porgera gold mine, which Barrick Gold ( ABX.TO ) operates through Barrick Niugini Ltd, its joint venture with China’s Zijin Mining ( 601899.SS ).

The Porgera highway remains blocked, IOM said, and the only way to reach the Porgera gold mine and other locations cut off from the rest of Enga province is by helicopter.

Geographical distance and harsh, hilly terrain slow rescue and relief efforts.

The government and the PNG Defense Force engineering team are now on the ground, but heavy equipment such as excavators, needed for the rescue, have yet to reach the village. The IOM said the community may not allow the use of excavators until they consider they have fulfilled their mourning and bereavement obligations.

“People are coming to terms with the fact that the people under the debris are now lost,” IOM said in an earlier update on the situation via email.

The government plans to set up two care/evacuation centers, each on one side of the landslide-affected area to accommodate evacuees who may need shelter.

A view of the damage after a landslide in Maip Mulitaka, Enga province, Papua New Guinea, May 24, 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS

A humanitarian convoy began distributing bottled water, food, clothing, hygiene kits, cooking utensils, tarps, as well as personal protective equipment.

Aid group CARE Australia said late Saturday that almost 4,000 people were living in the impact zone, but the number affected was likely higher as the area is “a haven for those displaced by conflict” in nearby areas.

At least 26 men were killed in Enga province in February in an ambush amid tribal violence that prompted Prime Minister James Marape to hand arrest powers to the country’s military.

The landslide left debris up to 8 meters (25 feet) deep across 200 square kilometers (80 square miles), cutting off road access and complicating relief efforts, CARE said.

Marape said disaster response officials, the Defense Force and the Department of Works and Highways are helping with relief and recovery efforts.