Wabag, Papua New Guinea – Emergency services are urgently working to reach isolated villages devastated by a massive landslide in the Enga province of Papua New Guinea. The humanitarian agency Care Australia reported that a rapid response team consisting of medics and military personnel have managed to reach the affected area, but face challenges due to difficult terrain and damages to main roads.
UN official Serhan Aktoprak warned of the continuing danger in the area, as the land continues to shift and slide. The landslide, which occurred at 03:00 local time on Friday, buried hundreds of homes in the highlands of Enga, leaving residents in surrounding areas trapped and isolated.
Local residents shared harrowing stories of trees and debris from a collapsed mountainside engulfing parts of their community. With highway access blocked, helicopters have become the only means for rescue efforts to reach the area, as highlighted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Efforts to determine the extent of the tragedy are ongoing, with Care Australia expressing concerns over the potentially high death toll due to the disaster in the sparsely populated region. Enga province MP Amos Akem reported that over 300 people were buried and 1,182 houses destroyed in the landslide, further complicating rescue operations.
The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration mission chief in Papua New Guinea, Mr. Aktoprak, described the landslide area as the size of three to four football fields, impacting the 3,895 residents of Yambali village. While some houses were spared, the magnitude of the disaster suggests a higher death toll than currently estimated.
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape assured the public that the government is collaborating with local officials to provide relief, recover bodies, and rebuild infrastructure in response to the catastrophe. Enga’s governor, Peter Ipatas, described the landslide as an unprecedented natural disaster affecting as many as six villages in the region.
The Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society confirmed the deployment of an emergency response team, consisting of officials from various agencies, to provide aid and support to the affected communities. The impact of the landslide has been devastating, leaving the region in urgent need of assistance and resources to address the ongoing crisis.