The landslide disaster in Papua New Guinea killed more than 300 people

On May 26, the Papua New Guinea government officially confirmed that more than 300 people died and 4,000 people were affected by a landslide in a village in this country.

The remote Kaokalam village (in Enga province) was flattened by the landslide of Maip Mulitaka mountain at 3 a.m. on May 24 (local time). 1,100 houses in 6 neighboring villages were affected.

The landslide of Mugalo mountain buried Kaokalam village. (Photo: AFP).

Ninga Role, a resident of Kaokalam village, said more than 50 houses with many people still sleeping inside were buried when the landslide occurred. The villagers did not have time to run away. Some people tried to save their small children but were later buried along with their families.

Mr. Role said it would be difficult to get the survivors out. This seemed impossible, the landslide area was huge, with rocks and trees everywhere.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said that immediately after receiving the bad news, the Government mobilized forces to the place where the landslide occurred. The Papua New Guinea Defense Force and the Department of Works and Highways are working to rescue survivors and search for bodies. Support forces and local people tried every way to pull the victims' bodies buried in rocks and fallen trees, but to no avail.

According to Mr. Serhan Aktoprak - United Nations official in Papua New Guinea, by the end of May 25, only 4 bodies had been removed from the rubble. Many houses were buried and rescue teams could not reach them. Meanwhile, rocks continue to move, jeopardizing rescue operations.

Ms. Elizabeth Laruma - President of the Porgera Business Women Association said that the incident happened at night while people were sleeping, so it almost buried the whole village. The cause has not been clearly determined, but many people believe it may be due to activities at the Porgera gold mine operated by Barrick Gold Company.

Aid workers and people at the scene of a landslide in Enga province - Papua New Guinea on May 26. (Photo: REUTERS).

According to the Papua New Guinea Red Cross, the death toll could be as high as 500. The devastating landslide blocked the road between Porgera and Kaokalam village, making the supply of fuel and goods even more difficult. . Helicopters are the only means of access to the village as the main road is closed.

Papua New Guinea is a geographically diverse country, with the majority of residents being subsistence farmers, speaking 800 indigenous languages. With 10 million people, it is also the most populous South Pacific country after Australia, which has about 27 million people. Papua New Guinea's infrastructure is still underdeveloped as the country only has 1.66 million internet users and 85% of the population lives in rural areas.