More than 300 people may have died in a landslide tragedy in Papua New Guinea

According to authorities, the disaster occurred in Kaokalam village, Porgera town in Enga province, about 600 km northwest of the capital Port Moresby. The landslide occurred at about 3 a.m. on May 24 when many villagers were sleeping. Maip Mulitaka community leader Andrew Ruing feared that more than 300 villagers were buried. This number is three times higher than the initial information on human losses.

“People here are in the darkest moment. They can’t cry or do anything, can’t speak, this situation has never happened in history. We are calling for support from the government , businesses, individuals from everywhere. We are looking for help from people around here. More than 300 lives are buried under the rubble, rocks and soil. We really need help,” said Mr. Ruing.

Papua New Guinea fears more than 300 people died in the landslide tragedy. Photo: Reuters

This morning (May 25), a rapid response team of medical staff, military and police reached the disaster area after a complicated journey by road due to the difficult terrain and damaged major roads. The forces are urgently deployed to search for victims.

Serhan Aktoprak, a UN official in the capital Port Moresby, said only four bodies had been pulled from the rubble so far. Many homes were buried and inaccessible to rescue teams. In addition, the earth and rocks were still shifting, making rescue operations dangerous.

Although the area is not densely populated, the death toll could be high, humanitarian agency CARE said, adding that the disaster also buried livestock, crops and wiped out Kaokalam village’s clean water supply.

The area where the landslide occurred lies just south of the equator, an area that regularly experiences heavy rains. In March this year, at least 23 people were killed in a landslide in a neighboring province.

According to VOV

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/hon-300-nguoi-co-the-da-thiet-mang-trong-tham-kich-lo-dat-o-papua-new-guinea-post384542.html