In Papua New Guinea, a landslide has devastated villages in a remote mountain region. While residents search for survivors in the rubble, aid supplies are gradually arriving. Hundreds of people may have died.
One day after a devastating landslide in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, the extent of the disaster is becoming clear. Yesterday morning, an avalanche of mud and debris buried several villages in the remote province of Enga, which lies around 600 kilometers northwest of the capital Port Moresby.
The village of Kaokalam was hit particularly hard. According to the Reuters news agency, 300 residents were buried. It is feared that hundreds of people have died. According to media reports, the remote village was razed to the ground. More than 1,100 houses were buried under the earth.
Area only accessible by helicopter
A villager posted images on social media of people climbing over rocks, uprooted trees and mounds of earth to search for survivors. Women crying can be heard in the background. Australian radio reported that the landslide had blocked the access road to the village and that the area could only be reached by helicopter.
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape said disaster management officials, the defence forces and the Ministry of Works and Highways were deployed in the disaster area.
Few bodies were recovered
The residents of Kaokalam and other villages were caught by surprise by the landslide while they were sleeping, as local media reported yesterday. Pictures from the scene of the accident showed a large mass of rocks and earth that had broken out of the densely vegetated Mount Mungalo. The remains of many corrugated iron huts could be seen at the foot of the landslide.
The village of Yambali, with almost 4,000 inhabitants, is also located in the disaster area. According to a team from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is already on site, 60 houses are said to have been destroyed. There could be more than 100 deaths. However, the number of victims could be significantly higher if the number of buried houses is correct. By morning (local time), only three bodies had been recovered from the earth.
Main roadße is blocked
A convoy was able to deliver the first food, water and other relief supplies to the devastated village today. According to the IOM response team, the residents urgently need shelter and blankets in addition to food and water. The relief efforts are aimed at the most vulnerable, including children, women, people with disabilities and the elderly.
As the AP news agency reported, streams that supplied residents with drinking water were buried. The electricity supply in the region was also paralyzed. The province’s main road, which leads to the gold mining town of Porgera, was blocked by debris.
USA and Australia want to help
Papua New Guinea is located in the southwestern Pacific, south of the equator, and is often affected by heavy rain. This year there have been intense rains and floods. In March, at least 23 people were killed in a landslide in a nearby province.
Ten million people live in the Commonwealth country, most of them in abject poverty – despite rich deposits of raw materials such as oil, gas and gold. The United States and Australia are building defense relations with the strategically important country – as is China. US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said their governments were ready to help deal with the landslide.