Over 670 killed in Papua New Guinea Landslide, says UN

The International Organization for Migration has revised its estimation of the death toll resulting from a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea to over 670, as announced on Sunday.

Serhan Aktoprak, the head of the U.N. migration agency’s mission in the South Pacific island nation, disclosed that the updated figures were based on assessments conducted by local officials from Yambali village and Enga province. They indicated that more than 150 homes were engulfed by Friday’s landslide, a stark increase from the previous estimate of 60 homes.

Aktoprak stated, “They are estimating that more than 670 people are currently buried under the soil.”

Initial reports from local authorities on Friday had suggested a death toll of 100 or higher. However, by Sunday, only five bodies and a portion of a sixth victim had been recovered.

Emergency responders in Papua New Guinea worked diligently on Sunday to relocate survivors to safer locations as the unstable terrain and ongoing tribal conflicts, prevalent in the country’s Highlands, posed significant challenges to the rescue operations.

Concurrently, the government of the South Pacific island nation is deliberating on whether to request official additional international assistance.

‘Working across debris is very dangerous’

Aktoprak emphasized that rescue crews have abandoned hope of finding survivors beneath the 6 to 8 meters (20 to 26 feet) deep layers of earth and debris. “People are coming to terms with this, so there is a serious level of grieving and mourning,” he remarked.

Authorities are establishing evacuation centers on stable ground on both sides of the extensive debris field, which spans an area equivalent to three to four football fields and has severed the main highway through the province.

“Working across the debris is very dangerous and the land is still sliding,” Aktoprak said.

However, transportation convoys delivering essential supplies to the devastated village, located 60 kilometers (35 miles) from the provincial capital, Wabag, encountered risks due to tribal conflicts in Tambitanis village, situated halfway along the route. Papua New Guinea soldiers were deployed to provide security for the convoys.

Rival clan clashes, carjacking and robbery

Tragically, a clash between two rival clans on Saturday, unrelated to the landslide, resulted in the death of eight locals. Approximately 30 homes and five retail establishments were razed during the violence.

Aktoprak said he did not expect tribal combatants would target the convoys but noted that opportunistic criminals might take advantage of the mayhem to do so.

“This could basically end up in carjacking or robbery,” Aktoprak said. “There is not only concern for the safety and security of the personnel, but also the goods because they may use this chaos as a means to steal.”

Longtime tribal warfare has cast doubt on the official estimate that almost 4,000 people were living in the village when a side of Mount Mungalo fell away.

Justine McMahon, country director of the humanitarian agency CARE International, said moving survivors to “more stable ground” was an immediate priority along with providing them with food, water and shelter. The military was leading those efforts.

WHO takes action, but scale of disaster is ‘immense’

The numbers of injured and missing were still being assessed on Sunday. Seven people including a child had received medical treatment by Saturday, but officials had no details on their conditions.

Medical facilities were buried along with houses, several small businesses, a guest house, a school and a gas station, officials said.

McMahon said there were other health facilities in the region, the provincial government was sending health workers and the World Health Organization was mobilizing staff.

“There will be some support, but it’s such a spread-out area that I think it will be quite a challenging situation,” McMahon said. “The scale of this disaster is quite immense.”

While Papua New Guinea is in the tropics, the village is 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) above sea level where temperatures are substantially cooler.

Papua New Guinea Defense Minister Billy Joseph and the government’s National Disaster Center director Laso Mana were flying from Port Moresby by helicopter to Wabag on Sunday to gain a firsthand perspective of what is needed.