Papua New Guinea landslide rescue racing against time UN World News

Race against time to find survivors after landslide in Papua New Guinea village kills 670 people, with hazardous conditions hindering rescue efforts.

Rescuers are currently in a race against time to find survivors following a devastating landslide that wiped out a village in Papua New Guinea, resulting in an estimated 670 fatalities, as reported by a U.N. official to AFP on Monday.

The village, once a bustling community nestled on a remote hillside in Enga province, was nearly completely destroyed when a portion of Mount Mungalo collapsed in the early hours of Friday morning, burying numerous homes and the individuals inside them who were fast asleep.

According to Serhan Aktoprak, an official from the U.N. migration agency, it has been over three days and seven hours since the disaster struck, making the rescue efforts a race against time. However, the hazardous conditions, with falling rocks and shifting ground, are making the task even more challenging. Additionally, groundwater running beneath the debris is turning the ground surface into a slide, further complicating the rescue operation.

As a precaution, approximately 250 homes nearby were evacuated. Initially, it was feared that between 100 to 300 individuals had perished in the landslide. However, after reassessing the population living in the area, the estimated death toll rose to 670.

Rescue efforts have been hindered by tribal violence along the only route not blocked by the disaster, delaying the arrival of heavy machinery and diggers. The disaster zone, where over 2,000 people resided, has left many devastated. People from neighboring villages are assisting in the recovery efforts, using spades and hand tools to unearth bodies buried beneath the debris.

The catastrophe has displaced more than 1,000 individuals, with food gardens and water supplies destroyed. The landslide, consisting of car-sized boulders, uprooted trees, and churned-up earth, is believed to be as deep as eight meters in some areas.

French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden have expressed condolences and offered support for relief and reconstruction efforts. The landslip may have been triggered by heavy rains in the region, with Papua New Guinea experiencing a series of natural disasters since the beginning of the year.

The country's wet climate, coupled with shifting rainfall patterns due to climate change, poses a heightened risk of landslides. Emergency services are stretched thin due to the multiple earthquakes, floods, and landslides that have occurred in Papua New Guinea this year.