According to the UN, at least 670 people were killed in the devastating landslide in Papua New Guinea on Friday. Rescue efforts in the remote area are proving extremely difficult.
According to the UN, more than 670 people are feared dead after the devastating landslide in Papua New Guinea. “An estimated 150 houses are now buried and it is estimated that 670 or more people are dead,” Serhan Aktoprak from the Port Moresby office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) told the AFP news agency.
The new estimate is based on calculations in the affected village of Yambali and by representatives of Enga province. However, the figure is “not solid,” Aktoprak stressed. It is based on the average household size in the region.
Repeated heavy rains
The accident occurred early Friday morning in a remote area of the island state in Oceania. According to Aktoprak, the operation in the province of Enga in the highlands of Papua New Guinea is proving extremely difficult. As water continues to flow, this creates a massive risk for those involved. “The situation is terrible, the ground is still slipping,” said Aktoprak.
In addition, rescuing the injured is proving difficult. The helpers often do not have professional equipment. According to the UN, people are using sticks, spades and large pitchforks to dig out the victims. So far, only five people have been rescued.
USA and Australia offer support
Papua New Guinea’s Defence Minister Billy Joseph and the director of the government’s National Disaster Management Centre, Laso Mana, flew by helicopter from Port Moresby to Wabag today to get a first-hand look at the situation.
IOM employee Aktoprak expects the government to decide by Tuesday whether to officially request further international assistance. The United States and Australia, Papua New Guinea’s main donor, have announced that they will support the work of the emergency services.
Papua New Guinea is located in the southwestern Pacific and is frequently hit by heavy rain. There have already been severe floods this year. In March, at least 23 people were killed in a landslide in a nearby province.