Massive Landslide in Papua New Guinea

A massive landslide has struck remote villages in Papua New Guinea’s Enga province, with fears that hundreds of people have been killed.

The disaster occurred around 3am local time on Friday, burying more than 100 homes in the highlands north of the island nation.

Local officials and aid agencies are uncertain about the exact number of people trapped under the debris. Enga governor Peter Ipatas described the event as an “unprecedented natural disaster.”

Community leader Andrew Ruing reported to Reuters that the landslide struck while people were asleep, burying more than 300 lives under rocks and debris. Elizabeth Iarume, a local business leader, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that “the entire village had gone down.” Villager Ninga Role also believes hundreds have perished, noting the difficulty of rescue efforts due to the extensive area covered by the landslide.

Humanitarian organization Care Australia expressed concern that the death toll could be disproportionately high despite the area not being densely populated. The organization highlighted that the extensive damage to roads would hinder assessment and relief efforts.

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape stated that disaster officials have been dispatched to begin relief work, recover bodies, and reconstruct infrastructure. Videos from the scene show villagers desperately trying to reach those buried under the rubble, with cries and yells audible in footage shared by Facebook user Kindupan Kambii from Kaokalam village in Enga.

The Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society has deployed an emergency response team, including officials from the provincial governor’s office, police, defense forces, and local NGOs, to the disaster site. Enga province is located over 600 kilometers (372 miles) by road from the capital, Port Moresby, making the rescue operation challenging.