At least 100 dead as landslide hits remote Papua New Guinea

MORE than 100 people are estimated to have been killed in a landslide in remote Papua New Guinea on Friday, Australian media reported.

An emergency response is under way, the South Pacific island nation’s leader said.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said the landslide hit Kaokalam Village in Enga Province, about 370 miles northwest of the South Pacific island nation’s capital, Port Moresby, at about 3am local time.

Residents say current estimates of the death toll are above 100, although authorities have not confirmed this figure.

Villagers say the number killed could be much higher, with video on social media showing locals pulling out buried bodies.

Prime Minister James Marape said authorities are responding and he would release information about the destruction and loss of life when it is available.

He said: “I am yet to be fully briefed on the situation. However, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the landslide disaster in the early hours of this morning.

“We are sending in disaster officials, PNG Defence Force, and the Department of Works and Highways to … start relief work, recovery of bodies, and reconstruction of infrastructure.”

Elizabeth Laruma, who runs a women’s business association in Porgera, a town in the same province near the Porgera gold mine, said houses were flattened when the side of a mountain gave way.

“It has occurred when people were still asleep in the early hours, and the entire village has gone down,” Ms Laruma told ABC.

“From what I can presume, it’s about 100-plus people who are buried beneath the ground.”

She said the landslide blocked the road between Porgera and the village, raising concerns about the town’s own supply of fuel and goods.

Village resident Ninga Role, who was away when the landslide struck, expects at least four of his relatives to have died.

“There are some huge stones and plants, trees. The buildings collapsed,” Ms Role said.

“These things are making it hard to find the bodies fast.”

Papua New Guinea is a diverse, developing nation of 10 million people, mostly subsistence farmers with 800 languages.

There are few roads outside the larger cities.