The United Nations reported over 670 people are believed to have died in a devastating landslide in a remote region of Papua New Guinea.
More than 150 houses in the village of Yambali are buried under rubble, according to Serhan Aktoprak, head of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) mission in the country. He said: “There are an estimated 150 plus houses now buried, and it is estimated that 670 people are dead.”
However, it is noted that many of those buried have yet to be found as search and rescue efforts continued in the country’s mountainous region, which shares the island of New Guinea with Indonesia.
The new estimate is a sharp increase from earlier in the week. Aid group CARE Australia said there were about 4,000 people living in the strike zone, but the number of people affected was likely higher because the area was a place of refuge for those displaced by conflict in neighbouring areas.
In addition, over 250 homes have been evacuated, about 1,250 people have been displaced from their homes, and many locals have settled into temporary housing with relatives and friends nearby.
The area continues to pose an “extreme risk” as rocks continue to fall and the ground soil is under constant increased pressure. People are removing bodies buried under the soil with stick diggers, shovels and agricultural forks, Aktoprak reported.
CARE said the landslide caused debris up to 8 metres deep to cover an area of 200 square kilometres, cutting off road access and hampering relief efforts. Helicopters were the only way to reach the area, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
The disaster occurred in the remote village of Kaokalam, about 600 kilometres (372 miles) northwest of the capital Port Moresby, at about 3 am local time on Friday. The landslide buried more than 300 people and more than 1,100 homes.
