Rescue teams don't expect to find survivors in Papua New Guinea
landslide
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[May 30, 2024]
By Lewis Jackson and Renju Jose
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Papua New Guinea ruled out finding survivors under
the rubble of a massive landslide on Thursday, with the exact number of
dead under almost two storeys of debris and mud still unknown but
ranging from hundreds to thousands.
Heavy equipment and aid have been slow to arrive because of the
treacherous mountain terrain, a damaged bridge on the main road, and
tribal unrest in the area.
"No bodies are expected to be alive under the debris at this point, so
it's a full recovery operation to recover any human remains," Enga
province disaster committee chairperson Sandis Tsaka told Reuters.
Officials are still trying to pinpoint how many people are buried under
parts of a mountain which collapsed onto the Yambali village in the Enga
region around 3 a.m. last Friday.
Without a current census – the last credible one was done in 2000 –
officials are relying on incomplete voter records and checks with local
leaders to reach an estimate on total deaths.
More than 2,000 people may have been buried alive, according to the PNG
government. A U.N. estimate put the death toll at around 670, while a
local businessman and former official told Reuters it was closer to 160.
Tsaka said the government was still unsure about the death toll though
it would be a "significant number."
"It could be anywhere from hundreds to 2,000. I wouldn't totally rule
2,000 out because of the uncertainty about how many people were (there)
at the time but I can't give you a definitive answer till we complete
the social mapping," he said.
Of the six bodies recovered so far, two lived outside the disaster area,
Tsaka said, reinforcing officials' view that there was lots of movement
between communities.
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People clear an area at the site of a landslide in Yambali village,
Enga Province, Papua New Guinea, May 27, 2024. UNDP Papua New
Guinea/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Dozens of soldiers, engineers, geology experts and public health
officials have reached the site, Tsaka said. Rescue teams are
planning to use heavy machinery from Thursday, after unstable ground
delayed its use earlier.
Thousands of residents are on alert for potential evacuation in case
the landslide shifts further downhill.
"We are not even sleeping at night. We are afraid that more of the
mountain will fall down and kill us all," 20-year-old resident Frida
Yeahkal told Reuters.
EPIDEMIC DANGERS
The landslide has buried nearby creeks and streams and contaminated
the village's primary water sources, posing a significant risk of
disease outbreaks, the United Nations migration agency said in its
latest update.
Most households lack alternative sources, such as rain catchment
tanks, and there were no methods to treat water, further
exacerbating drinking water shortages, it said.
The agency estimates about 1,650 people have been displaced, with
one in five under the age of six.
"What will happen to the ones alive? I do not know where we will go
for food and shelter. Our houses and gardens have all been
destroyed," community leader Yuri Yapara told Reuters.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry)
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