Mudslides affect multiple settlements in Papua New Guinea.
A huge landslide struck over six villages in the mountains of Papua New Guinea on Friday, covering houses and potentially resulting in numerous casualties, officials report. Peter Ipatas, the governor of the remote Enga region, first mentioned "loss of life and damage to property". Later, he said that "over six villages" had been hit and described the occurrence as an "unprecedented natural disaster" that left "extensive destruction" behind.
The event unfolded early on Friday morning while villagers slept at home. Images from the accident site showed a vast quantity of rock and earth that had tumbled from the thickly vegetated Mount Mungalo. Bits of various corrugated iron huts were spotted at the base of the landslide.
Scores of villagers hurried in search of missing individuals and frantically combed through the piles of stones and earth. Some of them wore boots, torches, machetes, and long-handled axes as they attempted to clear the mess.
According to Vincent Pyati, the head of the local community development association, the landslide transpired around 3 a.m. It appeared that over 100 residences had been swallowed by the slide. The exact number of occupants in the buried structures was yet to be identified.
Nickson Pakea, the president of the nearby Porgera Chamber of Commerce and Industry, speculated about 300 individuals possibly being in the village during the landslide. The National Civil Protection declined to comment at first. A Papua New Guinea Red Cross representative suggested that between 100 and 500 individuals may have sustained injuries or lost their lives, but she was still "attempting to gain a clearer understanding of the situation".
A medical crisis unit consisting of medical professionals, soldiers, police officers, and representatives from UN organizations was sent to the scene to assess the damage and aid the injured. Papua New Guinea can be found in the southwest Pacific near the equator and is frequently engulfed by heavy rain. Already this year, there has been an abundance of rainfall leading to flooding. In March, at least 23 lives were taken in a landslide in a neighboring province.
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Source: www.ntv.de
