Over 2,000 buried alive in Papua New Guinea landslide according to government sources
Papua New Guinea’s massive landslide three days ago buried more than 2,000 people, the government said on Monday, as treacherous terrain impeded aid and lowered hopes of finding survivors.
The National Disaster Centre gave the new number in a letter to the UN, which had put possible deaths at more than 670. The numbers of those buried around Yambali village in Enga province in the country’s north are based on estimates from local authorities, which have been rising steadily since Friday’s landslide.
The different tallies show the difficulty in getting an accurate estimate of the local population, as Papua New Guinea’s last credible census was in 2000 and many people live in remote mountainous villages.
The National Disaster Centre raised the toll again to 2,000 in a letter to the UN on Sunday that was released publicly on Monday. The landslide also caused major destruction to buildings and food gardens, it said.
Papua New Guinea landslide
A before/after gif of satellite imagery view before a landslide in the Enga Province, Papua New Guinea, on May 23, 2024, and the same view following a landslide in the Enga Province on May 26, 2024. 2024 (Planet Labs/Reuters)
“The situation remains unstable as the landslip continues to shift slowly, posing ongoing danger to both the rescue teams and survivors alike,” according to the letter.
About 4,000 people were living near the affected area, said Justine McMahon, the country director for CARE International Papua New Guinea, in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday.
The country recently announced a census would be conducted in 2024.
People in Papua New Guinea are using any tools they can find to rescue ‘whatever they can’ after a devastating and deadly landslide, an official with the International Organization of Migration says. 1:00
The unstable terrain, remote location and nearby tribal warfare are hampering relief efforts.
Emergency crews, led by Papua New Guinea’s defence personnel, were on the ground, but the first excavator only reached the site late on Sunday, according to a UN official.
Social media footage posted by villagers and local media teams showed people scaling rocks, digging with shovels, sticks and their bare hands to find survivors. Women could be heard weeping in the background.
Papua New Guinea’s National Disaster Centre raised the death toll from Friday’s landslide to 2,000 in a letter to the UN on Sunday. (AFP/Getty Images)
Six bodies have been retrieved so far. The UN said the number of possible deaths could change as rescue efforts were expected to continue for days.
Couple rescued from rubble
Media in Papua New Guinea on Monday reported that residents had rescued a couple trapped under rubble after hearing their cries for help.
Johnson and Jacklyn Yandam told local NBC News that they were very grateful and described their rescue as a miracle.
“We thank God for saving our lives at that moment. We were certain that we were going to die but the big rocks didn’t crush us,” Jacklyn said. “It’s really hard to explain as we got trapped for nearly eight hours, then got rescued. We believe we were saved for a purpose.”
About 1,250 people have been displaced by the landslide, which occurred in Papua New Guinea’s Enga province early Friday. More than 150 houses were buried and about 250 houses abandoned.
“The houses are buried under around eight metres of dirt. So there is quite a lot of debris to get through,” said CARE’s McMahon.
Dangerous conditions
Water continued to flow under the debris, the UN migration agency said, making it extremely dangerous for residents and the rescue team to clear debris.
Serhan Aktoprak, the chief of the UN migration agency’s mission in Papua New Guinea, told ABC television that emergency crews would continue to look for survivors until the residents asked them to stop.
More than 670 people believed killed in Papua New Guinea landslide, says UN agency
Tribal violence in the region has raised security concerns for road travel, with the military escorting convoys of rescue teams. Eight people were killed, and five shops and 30 houses burned down on Saturday, the UN agency said.
Papua New Guinea gave arrest powers to its military in February amid an eruption of tribal violence that saw at least 26 men killed in an ambush.
The landslide hit a section of highway near the Porgera gold mine, operated by Barrick Gold through Barrick Niugini Ltd., its joint venture with China’s Zijin Mining. Barrick has said the mine has enough fuel on site to operate for 40 days and other critical supplies for longer.
