landslide in Papua New Guinea
Melbourne: Officials have expressed fear of another landslide in the village of Papua New Guinea where thousands of people lost their lives due to landslide. There is also a danger of dead bodies being buried in the debris and disease spreading due to water (mud). A United Nations official gave this information on Tuesday. A Papua New Guinea government official has told the United Nations that more than 2000 people are estimated to be buried alive in the landslide that occurred last Friday. The official has formally sought international help for relief and rescue operations.
Conditions are getting worse
Earlier, the International Organization for Migration had feared 670 people may have died due to the massive landslide in Papua New Guinea. The government’s figure is almost three times the figure of the UN agency. The landslide occurred on Friday in Yambali village in Enga province, about 600 kilometers northwest of the country’s capital Port Moresby. Serhan Aktoprak, IOM mission chief in Papua New Guinea, said that the debris layer has become more unstable due to recent rains and water streams trapped between the ground and the debris. UN agency officials are in Enga province and are helping to provide shelter to 1,600 displaced people.
Danger looms over the villages
“It is feared that another landslide may occur and perhaps 8,000 people may need to be evacuated,” Actoprak told The Associated Press. “This is a matter of great concern. Ground movement and debris are posing a serious threat and the total number of people affected could be 6,000 or more,” he said. “If this pile of debris is not stopped and continues to move, it could gain momentum and destroy other communities and villages living below the mountain,” Actoprak said. Villagers are digging with bare hands in the muddy debris in search of the bodies of their relatives, which is a matter of concern. “My biggest fear at the moment is that the bodies are rotting, water is flowing and there is a serious risk of infectious diseases spreading,” Actoprak said.
Papua New Guinea landslide
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In a letter to the U.N.’s local coordinator on Sunday, Luceta Lasso Mana, the acting director of the South Pacific island nation’s national disaster center, said the landslide had “buried more than 2,000 people alive” and caused “great devastation.” Casualty estimates have varied widely since the landslide struck, and it was unclear how officials counted the number of victims. (AP)
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