close
close
hsuses

Dozens of deaths feared after severe landslide in remote village in Papua New Guinea

Theo

Top line

Dozens of people are feared dead after a massive landslide hit a remote village in Papua New Guinea on Friday morning. According to some media reports, the number of casualties could be more than 100, in addition to the two dead. Authorities in the Pacific island nation are desperately trying to organize a rescue operation.

Key data

The landslide hit the village of Kaokalam in Enga province, about 370 miles northwest of the country’s capital Port Moresby, at around 3 a.m. local time, Australian state broadcaster ABC reported.

A local resident told Reuters that more than 50 houses had been buried by the landslide and the people inside were still sleeping.

Authorities have not yet released an official death toll, but locals told ABC the number is likely to be over 100. The villager who spoke to Reuters, however, believed the number was around 300.

Efforts to rescue people or recover bodies were hampered by the landslide, which tore down large boulders and trees and caused houses to collapse.

The country’s Prime Minister, James Marape, said he was awaiting a full briefing on the “extent of destruction and loss of life” and would release further information on the disaster afterward.

He added that disaster management authorities, the country’s defense forces and other officials had been dispatched to the region to begin relief work and assist in the recovery of bodies.

Get text alerts for breaking Forbes news: We are introducing SMS alerts to keep you up to date with the most important headlines of the day. Send “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or register Here.

tangent

The landslide has blocked the road linking Kaokalam to the nearby gold mining town of Porgera. The mine is operated by Barrick Niugini Limited, a joint venture between Canada’s Barrick Gold Corporation and China’s Zijin Mining Group. A company spokesman told Reuters it was too early to assess whether the mine had been damaged.

Further information

Huge landslide hits remote village in Papua New Guinea, 100 people believed dead (ABC News)

Related Posts