More than 2000 buried alive in PNG landslide, local authorities say

Emergency crews, led by Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) defence personnel, were on the ground, but the first excavator only reached the site late on Sunday, according to a UN official.

Social media footage posted by villagers and local media teams showed people scaling rocks, digging with shovels, sticks and their bare hands to find survivors. Women could be heard weeping in the background.

Six bodies have been retrieved so far. The UN said the number of possible deaths could change as rescue efforts were expected to continue for days.

PNG media on Monday reported that residents had rescued a couple trapped under rubble after hearing their cries for help.

Johnson and Jacklyn Yandam told local NBC News that they were very grateful and described their rescue as a miracle.

“We thank God for saving our lives at that moment. We were certain that we were going to die but the big rocks didn’t crush us,” Jacklyn said. “It’s really hard to explain as we got trapped for nearly eight hours, then got rescued. We believe we were saved for a purpose.”

About 1250 people have been displaced by the landslide, which occurred in PNG’s Enga province early Friday. More than 150 houses were buried and about 250 houses abandoned.

“The houses are buried under around eight metres of dirt. So there is quite a lot of debris to get through,” said CARE’s McMahon.

Dangerous conditions

Water continued to flow under the debris, the UN migration agency said, making it extremely dangerous for residents and the rescue team to clear debris.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said government officials had been in discussions with their PNG counterparts about support since the disaster occurred.

“This is an absolute tragedy,” Marles told the ABC’s Radio National on Monday. “I know that every Papua New Guinean today will be feeling it, as every Australian today is feeling it on their behalf,” he said.

“Our two countries are very, very close together, and in moments of natural disaster, they have been very, very quick to support us, and we are doing the same thing.”

Serhan Aktoprak, the chief of the UN migration agency’s mission in PNG, told ABC television that emergency crews would continue to look for survivors until the residents asked them to stop.

Aktoprak said that the rescue team had eight vehicles but that he hoped to receive additional resources soon.

Tribal violence in the region has raised security concerns for road travel, with the military escorting convoys of rescue teams. Eight people were killed, and five shops and 30 houses burnt down on Saturday, the UN agency said.

PNG gave arrest powers to its military in February amid an eruption of tribal violence that saw at least 26 men killed in an ambush.

The landslide hit a section of highway near the Porgera gold mine, operated by Barrick Gold through Barrick Niugini Ltd, its joint venture with China’s Zijin Mining. Barrick has said the mine has enough fuel on site to operate for 40 days and other critical supplies for longer.

Reuters, AAP

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