Press
It is night when half a mountain suddenly collapses into the valley in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. The people are sleeping – many probably had no chance. Rescuers are searching with axes and machetes.
Port Moresby – A massive landslide has buried at least one village in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea and left many residents stranded. The extent of the damage is dramatic: more than 100 people could be buried under the earth, reported the Australian broadcaster ABC, citing eyewitnesses and residents. The situation was still unclear even hours after the accident: the local news site Loop PNG even spoke of six buried villages.
According to the New Zealand broadcaster RNZ, up to 3,000 people lived in the area. In the worst case scenario, the number of victims could be much higher. Local media described the landslide as an “unprecedented natural disaster.”
The accident occurred on Friday night at around 3 a.m. (local time). “It happened early in the morning when people were still sleeping, and the whole village is destroyed,” said Elizabeth Laruma, chairwoman of a local women’s association. “As far as I can tell, at least 100 people are buried underground.”
Search with machetes and axes
The remote province of Enga is about 600 kilometers from the capital Port Moresby. Prime Minister James Marape expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and said that disaster relief workers and the military would be deployed to assist with the rescue efforts.
Videos that were distributed in the media showed huge amounts of rubble piled up several meters high. According to reports, people on site are using machetes and axes to search for people buried. However, heavy equipment is urgently needed to remove the huge stones and masses of earth, RNZ quoted a local resident as saying.
People hoped for support from the government and aid organizations – but the disaster area is so isolated that after the landslide it is almost only possible to get there by air. Eyewitnesses said it could take weeks until all the bodies are recovered. It was unclear whether there is still hope for survivors.
Australia offers help
The local news site JB143 PNG spoke of “catastrophic destruction” on Facebook. The landslide also affected the Porgera gold mine, one of the largest gold mines in the world. Despite rich raw material deposits, most people in Papua New Guinea live in abject poverty.
“The loss of life and destruction is devastating,” said Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. As a “friend and partner,” Australia is offering all the help needed.
Earthquake as trigger?
The tropical island of Papua New Guinea lies north of Australia. Because of its proximity to the equator, heavy rainfall is not uncommon. Just in March, 23 people died in a landslide in a nearby province.
In addition, the island state with ten million inhabitants is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most seismically active regions on earth. Earthquakes occur again and again – most recently a few days ago, when a magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook the province of Enga. It was unclear whether the tremors were related to the landslide that has now occurred. dpa
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