A massive landslide struck remote villages in Papua New Guinea's highlands Friday, May 22, with many homes buried and scores of residents feared dead. The disaster hit an isolated part of Enga province at around 3:00 am local time, according to government officials, when many villagers were at home asleep. Three bodies have so far been recovered, but there are fears that hundreds more may be entombed. The true toll may take days or weeks to become clear.
Provincial Governor Peter Ipatas told Agence France-Presse that "there has been a big landslide causing loss of life and property." He later said "six villages" had been affected and described it as an "unprecedented natural disaster."
Images showed a scene of total devastation, with a vast bite of earth cleaved from densely vegetated Mount Mungalo. The landslide left a vast brown scar of car-size boulders, felled trees and dirt that stretched down toward the valley floor. The twisted remains of corrugated tin shelters and an overturned minibus could be seen at the foot of rubble.
A rapid response team of medics, military, police, engineers and UN agency personnel has been dispatched to the area. Hospitals, health workers, relief agencies and government personnel across the region have been placed on an "active state of alertness."
Prime Minister James Marape said the team would be there to help with "relief work, (the) recovery of bodies, and reconstruction of infrastructure." He added: "I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives."
Vincent Pyati, president of the local Community Development Association, told AFP the "landslide hit around three last night and it looks like more than 100 houses got buried," but the number of victims in unknown. Nickson Pakea, president of the nearby Porgera Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said there are fears that up to 300 people may have been there at the time, a number that could not be confirmed. Papua New Guinea's National Disaster Management Office did not immediately give a toll.
Aid agencies including the Papua New Guinea Red Cross and CARE said they were on standby and working to find out more. Red Cross PNG interim secretary general Janet Philemon told AFP the landslide location was remote and that it could take up to two days for emergency services or aid to reach the area. The nearest highway, which runs to the gold mining town of Porgera, was blocked, complicating relief efforts.
The Red Cross estimates the number of injured or dead could be between 100 and 500. But Philemon said she was "trying to get a clearer picture of what the situation is." The agency was ready to offer first aid, blankets and non-food items to those affected. "There is no indication of an earthquake or anything that may have triggered [this event]. It is a gold mining area and people may have been gold mining on that mountain," she said. Otherwise, the landslide may have been caused by heavy rain, Philemon suggested.
Sitting just south of the equator, the area gets frequent heavy rains. This year has seen intense rainfall and flooding.
Community leader Kandai said villagers had been fearful since a smaller landslide struck the same area earlier this year but "they don't have any place to move to." In March, at least 23 people were killed by a landslide in a nearby province.