Search For Missing Continues In Papua New Guinea 2 Days After Landslide Buries Hundreds Alive
PM James Marape extended his condolences and dispatched the defense force and emergency agencies to the affected region, located about 600 kilometres northwest of capital Port Moresby.
New Delhi: Hundrends remain missing in Papua New Guinea after a catastrophic landslide struck the Pacific Island country last week. The acting director of the country's National Disaster Centre said in a letter that over 2,000 people were buried alive in the disaster that struck on Friday, a BBC report said.
The Mount Mungalo landslide took place in the highlands of Enga, in the northern part of the island nation. Local officials and reporters attribute the mountain's collapse to weeks of heavy rain and other wet conditions in the area.
Establishing an accurate fatality count has been challenging, the BBC report noted, citing difficult rescue conditions such as the rubble running as deep as 10 metres (32 feet) in some areas and inadequate equipment. So far, fewer than a dozen bodies have been recovered, while the United Nations estimates the number of missing at 670, the BBC report said.
The mountainside collapse early Friday morning devastated a bustling village in Enga province, with damage stretching nearly a kilometre, according to observers. Approximately 3,800 residents lived in the area.
EAM Dr.S. Jaishankar posted on X, "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in Papua New Guinea following the recent landslide. Our thoughts are with the Government and the people. India stands in solidarity with our friends at this difficult time".
Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in Papua New Guinea following the recent landslide.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DrSJaishankar) May 27, 2024
Our thoughts are with the Government and the people. India stands in solidarity with our friends at this difficult time. @TkatchenkoMP
Lusete Laso Mana, acting director of the National Disaster Centre, described the damage as "extensive", noting its significant impact on the country's "economic lifeline".
Prime Minister James Marape extended his condolences, and dispatched the defense force and emergency agencies to the affected region, located about 600 kilometres northwest of the capital, Port Moresby.
Residents Wait For A Larger Rescue Op To Commence
Residents of the affected Kaokalam village were quoted in the BBC report as saying that they wre still waiting for "larger rescue operations" to commence. Evit Kambu, a local resident, told Reuters that many of her family members remain trapped under the rubble and debris.
"I have eighteen of my family members buried under the debris and soil that I am standing on. And a lot more family members in the village I cannot count," she told the news agency.
"Thank you to all those who've come to help us. But I cannot retrieve the bodies, so I am standing here helplessly."
A community leader who visited the site told the BBC that local residents felt abandoned and left to fend for themselves. They have been "using shovels and their bare hands" to try and dig people out of the rubble, the report noted.
"It's been almost three to four days now but [many] bodies are not located yet. It is still covered by the landslide and people are finding it really hard to dig them out - they are calling for the government for support and help," Ignas Nembo said.
A police official from the province said soldiers had arrived at the scene and were attempting to remove boulders to free those trapped. Acting Provincial Police Commander Martin Kelei described these efforts as precarious, saying moving car-sized boulders and other large obstacles risked triggering further rock slips.
"Digging is very hard at the moment because we're worried about further landslides and deaths, so local people are only digging from where they can see it is safe. We are trying to identify wherever we can see that people are buried," he said.
Commander Martin Kelei, who has visited the site several times since Friday's collapse, claimed that survivors could still be heard calling for help from beneath the rubble. Local media reported that one couple was pulled alive from under the rocks, having survived because their home was only partially hit by the landslide.
They were rescued after workers heard their shouts for help, according to the local NBC channel. Meanwhile, the remaining residents are being evacuated as the area remains high-risk, with forecasts predicting rain.
"The ground is also quite unstable at the moment and it is at risk of triggering further landslide," said Justine McMahon, the country co-ordinator of Care Australia, one of the humanitarian aid agencies on the ground.
"We've decided to stay out for now to allow the authorities time to properly assess the situation to conduct the rescue and recovery operations."
Earlier, an official from the UN's migration agency described the challenges of the rescue efforts. Serhan Aktoprak from the International Organisation for Migration told BBC that the teams faced several obstacles, including grieving relatives reluctant to allow heavy machinery near their loved ones.
Instead, he said, "people are using digging sticks, spades, and large agricultural forks to remove the bodies buried under the soil". The debris from the landslide includes large boulders, trees, and displaced soil.
Crews at the scene reported that rescue efforts are being hampered by significant damage to the only road leading to the town. According to McMahon, the landslide has destroyed approximately 200 metres (650 feet) of the road.
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