Photo: Rescue workers digging frantically to find people buried alive
The Government of Papua New Guinea has told the United Nations that over 2,000 people were buried alive in a devastating landslide in a remote village in the country.
In a letter to the U.N. on May 27, Papua New Guinea’s national disaster centre said “The landslide buried more than 2,000 people alive and caused major destruction.”
Reports say the once-bustling remote hillside village in Enga province was almost wiped out when a chunk of Mount Mungalo collapsed in the early hours of Friday morning, burying scores of homes and the people sleeping inside them.
UN migration agency estimates over 670 were killed in the landslide.
According to the U.N. disaster office, the landslide caused “major destruction to buildings, food gardens and caused a major impact on the economic lifeline of the country”, saying on Monday that the main highway to Porgera Mine was “completely blocked”.
The office added: “The situation remains unstable as the landslip continue to shift slowly, posing ongoing danger to both the rescue teams and survivors alike.”
According to the office, the scale of the catastrophe required “immediate and collaborative actions from all players” including the army, and national and regional responders.
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