Government officials suggest that death toll could reach 2,000 from PNG landslide.
The Papua New Guinea government initially estimated 500 casualties in a massive landslide, but now they fear as many as 2,000 people may have been buried. They have requested assistance from the international community.
The landslide occurred in a remote area of Papua New Guinea and could have affected well over 2,000 individuals, exceeding both the initial estimate and the United Nations’ figure of 640. The government of Papua New Guinea has formally sought international aid.
On May 26, rescue crews abandoned hope of finding survivors under six to eight meters of earth and debris spread across 200 square kilometers. The landslide originated from Mount Mungalo in Enga province in the early morning hours of May 24.
According to sources at the U.N. Papua New Guinea office, six individuals, including a child, were recently discovered alive among the rubble. While heavy rain fell near the disaster site in the provincial capital of Wabag, the conditions in the stricken village of Yambali, where communications are limited, remain unknown.
Serhan Aktoprak, head of the International Organization for Migration’s Papua New Guinea mission, noted that water seepage between the rubble and underlying soil increases the risk of subsequent landslides, posing dangers to rescue teams using shovels and farming tools to locate bodies.
