Unstable rubble and debris were complicating search and rescue efforts in rural Papua New Guinea on Saturday, a day after a massive landslide buried villages and killed at least at least three people. Local officials said the death toll could reach at least hundreds.
Nearly 4,000 people live in 3 villages submerged by a landslide Sandis Tsaka, the provincial administrator for Enga, which covers the affected area, said early Friday. He said the death toll is likely to be high because the landslide occurred in a densely populated area and is also a corridor with high traffic.
“Our people will consider it biblical,” he said. “We are seeking all the help and support we can get to address a humanitarian disaster of unprecedented proportions in this part of the world.”
According to Mr. Tsaka, three bodies were pulled from the rubble on Friday and five people, including a child, were treated for injuries.
The landslide occurred around 3 a.m., catching most residents off guard and causing giant rocks, some larger than shipping containers, to fall. Mr. Tsaka said the landslide buried at least 60 homes under up to 20 feet of rubble. At least He said a 500-foot stretch of the Porgera Highway, the main route connecting the area, was flooded due to landslides.
The villages, mostly populated by farmers, are located in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean north of Australia.
Mr. Tsaka said the area is prone to smaller landslides and In recent months, the weather has been continuously wet.
Heavy rain is forecast to continue to hit the area in the coming days, further hindering rescue efforts. According to Mr. Tsaka, international organizations and the country’s defense forces have come to help.
Vincent Pyati, president of the local Community Development Association, said the area is a junction where many people come from remote areas. staying overnight to catch public motor vehicles, a common mode of transportation, may result in additional tolls. He said there is also a drinking club that is popular with people throughout the district.
Pyati said at least 300 people were estimated to have died.
