SYDNEY. The recent landslide in Papua New Guinea has buried more than 2,000 people, the government reported on Monday. The catastrophic event, which occurred three days ago in the remote Maip-Mulitaka area of Enga province, has left rescuers grappling with treacherous terrain and diminishing hopes of finding survivors.
The National Disaster Centre provided the updated figure in a letter to the United Nations, which had initially estimated over 670 possible deaths. The disparity underscores the challenges in obtaining accurate data from this isolated region, where the last reliable census was conducted in 2000.
Defense Minister Billy Joseph confirmed that approximately 4,000 people resided in the six villages affected by the landslide, which struck in the early hours of Friday while most were asleep. Over 150 houses were buried under debris nearly two stories high, with rescuers reporting hearing screams from beneath the rubble.
“I have 18 of my family members being buried under the debris and soil that I am standing on, and a lot more family members in the village I cannot count,” said resident Evit Kambu. “But I cannot retrieve the bodies so I am standing here helplessly.”
Despite over 72 hours having passed since the disaster, residents continued to use spades, sticks, and their bare hands to move the debris. According to provincial authorities, only five bodies had been recovered so far.
Funeral Amidst the Ruins
Villagers held a poignant funeral on Monday, with mourners walking behind a coffin, weeping, as captured in a video by a U.N. official. The remote location and ongoing tribal warfare have slowed the arrival of heavy equipment and aid. Tribal violence on Saturday resulted in eight deaths and the burning of 30 houses, further complicating rescue efforts. Aid convoys, escorted by soldiers, navigate through the still-smoking remains of these houses.
The first excavator reached the disaster site late on Sunday, as reported by a U.N. official. Many villagers are still uncertain whether their loved ones were caught in the landslide, as people often move between homes of friends and relatives. “It’s not like everyone is in the same house at the same time, so you have fathers who don’t know where their children are, mothers who don’t know where husbands are, it’s chaotic,” explained Matthew Hewitt Tapus, a pastor from Port Moresby whose home village is near the disaster site.
Slim Chances of Survival
Minister Joseph indicated that the defense operations chief was dispatched to the disaster site within 24 hours, supported by the Australian Defence Force. A PNG defense engineering team and a military helicopter for evacuations are also on-site. The government has requested a New Zealand Defence Force geotechnical team to assess the stability of the land, as heavy earth-moving equipment could be hazardous.
The province is in dire need of capacity building for disaster warnings, the minister emphasized, adding that the government plans to rebuild the villages and reopen the main highway to the town and the Porgera gold mine.
Australia has pledged an initial aid package of A$2.5 million ($1.66 million) and will send technical experts to assist in rescue and recovery efforts. China has also offered its assistance.
Unstable ground, rain, and flowing water are making it extremely perilous for both residents and rescue teams to clear debris, noted Serhan Aktoprak, chief of the U.N. migration agency’s mission in PNG. Over 250 homes have been evacuated, displacing more than 1,250 people.
Some residents are reluctant to use heavy machinery, wishing to respect the mourning period. “At this point, people I think are realizing that the chances are very slim that anyone can basically be taken out alive,” Aktoprak added somberly.
