On May 24, Papua Guinea had a large -scale shift of soil in a remote mountainous area, which led to the death of hundreds of people. The exact number of people who are under the rubble are currently unknown. Rescue services are already working at the scene, looking for and freeing the victims.
The landslide occurred around 03:00 local time and covered remote villages in the high mountains of the province of Engga, destroying more than 1 182 houses. The province is located more than 600 kilometers from the port of Port Morsby.
The head of the mission of the International Organization for Migration in Papua New Guinea, Serhan Aktopstorak, reported that the shift had covered the village of Yambali, which is located about two hours from the capital of the province, Vabag. The injured area covers the area of three to four football fields, and 3,895 people live in the village. Many homes are completely destroyed, there are no access to drinking water, power lines do not work, and residents may face a lack of food.
The governor of the province of Engga, Peter Ipatas, called it "unprecedented natural disaster." Andrew Runga, a local leader, said people were asleep during a shift, and about 300 people were killed as a result of a disaster. A resident of the victim of the village, Ning Role, also believes that hundreds of people have died, and the scale of catastrophe complicates rescue operations.
Papua Prime Minister New Guinea James Marape said emergency services were sent to the scene to assist, remove bodies from rubble and restore infrastructure. The Papua Red Cross Society of New Guinea reported that an emergency response group, which includes officials, police, defense forces and local NGOs, has already launched shelters near the disaster.
The shift also blocked the access road to the town of Porger, where the Great Golden Mines is located. The Barrick Gold mine operator has reported that the scale of the loss is still evaluated and the impact on production is still unknown.
Australia, the closest neighbor Papua New Guinea and the largest foreign aid provider, is ready to support. Australia's foreign minister, Penny Wong, expressed his condolences to Papua New Guinea residents and assured that Australia was ready to help restore.
The Care Australia humanitarian organization noted that although the victim is not densely populated, the death toll may be significant. The rapid response group from doctors and servicemen has already arrived at the scene, but difficult relief and road damage complicated rescue work. You can only reach the area on a helicopter.
