More Than 2,000 Buried in Papua New Guinea Landslides

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - More than 2,000 people were buried alive following landslides in Papua New Guinea last week, the government said on Monday, May 27. Hopes of finding survivors have dimmed because of the treacherous terrain and difficulties in accessing aid.

The National Disaster Center raised the number of people believed to be buried to 2,000 people in a letter to the UN coordinator dated Sunday, May 26. The National Disaster Center Director Luseta Laso Mana said the landslide caused “major destruction” in Yambali village in Enga province. 

Separately, the UN’s migration agency, IOM, estimated the death toll to be much lower at more than 670 people.

“We are not able to dispute what the government suggests but we are not able to comment on it,” said Serhan Aktoprak, head of the IOM mission in Papua New Guinea, quoted by ABC. “As time goes in such a massive undertaking, the number will remain fluid.”

The IOM put the death toll at 670 based on calculations by Yambali Village and Enga Province officials that more than 150 houses had been buried by landslides. The previous estimate was 60 homes.

A landslide hit Yambali Village in northern Papua New Guinea at around 03:.00 am last Friday when most of the people were sleeping. More than 150 homes were buried under nearly two stories of rubble. Rescuers told local media they heard screams from underground.

Differences in death toll estimates are due to remote locations and the difficulty of obtaining accurate population estimates. The last census was conducted in 2000, and many people live in remote mountain villages.

Additionally, a lack of telecommunications and tribal warfare throughout the province meant that international aid workers and aid convoys required military escorts. Landslides have also buried a 200-meter-long main provincial highway under 6 to 8 meters of debris, creating major obstacles for aid workers.

Mana said the landslide would have a major economic impact on the entire country. He also wrote to the UN that the situation remains unstable due to the shifting ground, “posing an ongoing danger to both the rescue teams and survivors alike.

REUTERS | ABC NEWS

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