Authorities in Papua New Guinea Monday said more than 2,000 people were buried alive in the landslide that struck a remote village in the country’s northern region last week, a significantly higher count than original reports of a few dozen deaths and the United Nations’ updated count of more than 600.
Locals and members of United Nations (UN) take part in search and rescue efforts in Enga Province where the landslide struck.
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Key Takeaways
- According to the Associated Press and the New York Times, an official from the country’s National Disaster Center, Luseta Laso Mana, wrote to the U.N. about the latest estimate and said the landslide “caused major destruction to buildings, food gardens and caused major impact on the economic lifeline of the country.”
- Mana’s letter did not mention how many survivors remained trapped under the rubble, but said the disaster site remained unstable due to the shifting ground, and this posed an “ongoing danger to both the rescue teams and survivors alike.”
- The International Organization for Migration, the U.N. body overseeing the international response to the disaster, said Sunday it believed 670 people were trapped under the debris and “hopes of finding them alive are shrinking.”
- The agency warned the death toll is likely to rise further and around 1,000 people have been displaced by the disaster so far.
