Sydney, Australia, May 27 (EFE).- Papua New Guinea’s national disaster center estimates that more than 2,000 people were buried by the huge landslide that devastated a remote northern town.
The landslide occurred on Friday at 3 am (17:00 GMT Thursday) and impacted Kaokalam, Enga province, about 600 kilometers from the country’s capital Port Moresby.
According to a letter sent to the United Nations coordinator in the country from the center dated Sunday, to which EFE had access to on Monday, “the landslide buried more than 2,000 people alive.”
It “caused major destruction to buildings, food gardens and caused major impact on the economic lifeline of the country,” the letter said.
“The main highway to (the nearby) Porgera Mine is completely blocked. The situation remains unstable as the landslip continues to shift slowly, posing ongoing danger to both the rescue teams and survivors.”
Figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Sunday estimated the number of houses at 150 and people buried under the 6-8 meters of earth and debris at 670, and that “hopes of finding them alive are shrinking.”
The landslide has also displaced about 1,000 people, according to the agency.
UN sources consulted by EFE underscored the difficulty of accurately determining the number of fatalities and missing persons due in part to the laborious rescue operation, which may take days, due to the instability of the terrain and the difficulties accessing the area.
“The Papua New Guinea army is leading search and rescue efforts. The remoteness of the site, the continued movement of the terrain and damage to access roads are slowing efforts,” the UN office in the country said in a statement.
Survivors and volunteers removed rocks by hand and tried to dig with sticks and machetes in the dense area of earth and rocks left by the landslide, as seen in videos from the field published by the Papuan channel NBC, which reported that two people were rescued alive.
A community leader from the region described the situation as “disheartening” in statements to Radio New Zealand.
“There are people who are still buried. You can hear them screaming (for help),” they said.
Around 4,000 people officially live in the area where the landslide struck, although the UN estimates that the number of people affected is higher since the town has taken in people from nearby villages fleeing conflicts and tribal clashes.
In parallel with the rescue efforts, the UN and local authorities have also deployed a mission to care for the victims.
“The necessary emergency supplies, including temporary shelters, food and water, are being prepared for transportation and distribution,” the UN said in its statement, adding that evacuation centers have been established in collaboration with local authorities and the Armed Forces.
The affected area usually suffers from intense rains and flooding, and landslides are not unusual in the country, where, despite the wealth of natural resources, a large part of its more than 9 million inhabitants live in extreme poverty. It is also isolated due to a lack of communications and infrastructure, especially in remote places such as the current catastrophe. EFE
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