After a devastating landslide in Papua New Guinea, a government official has informed the United Nations that over 2,000 people are believed to have been buried alive. This figure is significantly higher than the U.N.’s initial estimate of 670 casualties. The landslide occurred in Yambali village in Enga province, causing major destruction and claiming thousands of lives. The remains of only five people had been recovered by Monday, leaving authorities to grapple with the enormity of the disaster.
Estimates of the casualties have varied widely since the incident, with different organizations offering different figures. The International Organization for Migration, working closely with the government, has not changed its estimate of 670 deaths pending new evidence. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed condolences to the victims’ families and offered support to the government in their response efforts. The United Nations is ready to provide additional assistance during this challenging time.
The difficulty in determining the exact number of casualties is due to challenging conditions on the ground, including remote locations, lack of telecommunications, and tribal warfare in the region. The government’s estimate of 2,000 is yet to be fully explained, and Prime Minister James Marape has promised to release more information as it becomes available. The lack of reliable census data in Papua New Guinea further complicates the task of assessing the scale of the disaster.
In addition to the human toll, the landslide has also had a significant economic impact on the country, as it buried a major stretch of the province’s main highway under debris. The use of heavy earth-moving machinery has become necessary to aid in the recovery efforts, as villagers have been using shovels and farming tools to dig for bodies. However, the unstable ground poses a continuous danger to both rescue teams and survivors. Papua New Guinea’s defense minister and other officials are assessing the need for additional international support.
As efforts continue to uncover the magnitude of the tragedy, traumatized villagers are divided over the use of heavy machinery in potentially further damaging the remains of their buried relatives. The government is working to provide emergency supplies to the displaced survivors and ensure that the necessary resources are deployed to the disaster scene. The challenges of the terrain and the ongoing danger posed by the shifting ground create a complex rescue operation that requires swift and coordinated international assistance to address the devastating impact of the landslide.
