A devastating landslide struck the remote village of Kaokalam in northern Papua New Guinea (PNG) early Friday morning, leaving hundreds feared dead as it flattened dozens of homes and buried families alive.
According to a resident, Ninga Role, the landslide, which occurred around 3 a.m., buried more than 50 homes with people still inside, resulting in a death toll of nearly 300, including Role’s brother and cousin.
Initial reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corp and local media suggested that over 100 people had been killed in the disaster. Role recounted the tragic story of one man who attempted to rescue his two children but ended up being buried along with his extended family.
Social media footage shared by Role depicted the grim aftermath of the landslide, with people scrambling over debris and uprooted trees in search of survivors. The sound of women weeping underscored the magnitude of the tragedy.
“It’s very impossible, the area covered by the landslide is large and there are rocks and trees everywhere,” Role said.
“It’s very difficult to get them out.”
The village is in Enga province, about 600 km (370 miles) north of the capital Port Moresby.
Prime Minister James Marape said in a statement he had yet to be fully briefed but that authorities were responding to the disaster.
“We are sending in disaster officials, PNG Defence Force, and the Department of Works and Highways to meet provincial and district officials in Enga and also start relief work, recovery of bodies, and reconstruction of infrastructure,” Marape said.
“I will release further information as I am fully briefed on the scale of destruction and loss of lives.”
Authorities in Papua New Guinea (PNG), including the police, have not yet provided any official comments regarding the devastating landslide.
The incident occurred near a section of the highway close to the Porgera gold mine, which is operated by Barrick Gold through its joint venture with China’s Zijin Mining, known as Barrick Niugini Ltd.
A spokesperson for the mine stated that it was too early to determine if the landslide had caused any damage to the operations. However, they mentioned that the mine had sufficient supplies to continue operating normally in the immediate aftermath of the event.
