UN fears 670 people buried under Papua New Guinea landslide

About 670 people are estimated to be buried under a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea, a UN official says.

The head of the International Organization for Migration in Papua New Guinea, Serhan Aktoprak, said the impact of Friday’s landslide in the country’s isolated Enga province was greater than initially thought.
“There are an estimated 150-plus houses now buried,” Mr Aktoprak said.

The affected areas are in the highlands of Enga, in the north of the island nation in the south-west Pacific.

Mr Aktoprak said rescuers were at risk because “the land still sliding”.

“The water is running and this is creating a massive risk for everyone involved,” he said.

There are nearly 4,000 people living in the area hit by the landslide.

But Care Australia, the humanitarian agency which is helping with relief efforts, warned that the number affected was “likely to be higher” because of an influx of people escaping tribal conflicts in neighbouring areas.

At least 1,000 people have been displaced as a result of the disaster. Mr Aktoprak said gardens that had grown food and water supplies were almost completely wiped out.

The landslide happened at around 03:00 local time on Friday (17:00 GMT on Thursday), when people were more likely to be sleeping.

Mr Aktoprak said helpers were using any means necessary to recover victims: “People are using digging sticks, spades, large agricultural forks to remove the bodies buried under the soil.”