Australia: Devastating Landslide in Remote Papua New Guinea Village Leaves 100 Dead

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: In a devastating incident, hundreds of people are believed to have died in a large landslide that destroyed many homes and trapped families in a distant village in northern Papua New Guinea.

The landslide occurred in Kaokalam village around 3 am, burying over 50 homes with people still asleep inside.

According to a villager, nearly 300 people have died, including his brother and cousin.

Reports from Australian Broadcasting Corp and other local media suggest that over 100 people have been killed.

The villager also said that a man who went back to rescue his two children ended up being buried along with his larger family.

Videos shared on social media showed people climbing over rocks, trees torn from the ground, and piles of soil, all while searching for survivors. The sounds of women crying could be heard in the background.

The village is located in Enga province, approximately 600 km north of the capital, Port Moresby.

Prime Minister James Marape mentioned in a statement that he hasn’t received a complete briefing yet, but the authorities are taking action in response to the disaster.

The PM said that they sending disaster officials, the PNG Defence Force, and the Department of Works and Highways to meet provincial and district officials in Enga. He also mentioned that they would begin relief work, recover bodies, and reconstruct infrastructure.

The landslide struck a part of the highway close to the Porgera gold mine, which is run by Barrick Niugini LTD, a joint venture between Barrick Gold and China’s Zijing Mining.

A spokesperson stated that it was too early to determine if the mine had been affected. However, the mine had sufficient supplies to continue operating normally for the time being.

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