UN Migration Agency says death toll mounts to over 670 from landslide in Papua New Guinea
May 26, 2024
Port Moresby [Papua New Guinea], May 26 : Following a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea, the International Organization for Migration has raised its estimate of the death toll to more than 670 now, according to Al Jazeera.
The head of the UN agency's mission in the island nation of the South Pacific, Serhan Aktoprak, announced on Sunday that the updated death toll was determined by Yambali village and Enga provincial officials, who estimated that more than 150 houses had been submerged by Friday's landslide.
The number of houses destroyed were estimated to be 60 previously.
"They are estimating that more than 670 people [are] under the soil at the moment," Aktoprak said, according to Al Jazeera.
"The situation is terrible with the land still sliding. The water is running and this is creating a massive risk for everyone involved," he added.
Tribal warfare and unstable earth jeopardized rescue efforts as emergency personnel moved survivors of the massive landslide to safer ground.
The landslide, notably hit Kaokalam Village in Enga Province, about 600 kilometres northwest of Port Moresby, on Friday.
The videos shared on social media show residents scaling huge rocks and pulling bodies from rubble and beneath trees. Moreover, the landslide has also blocked the access road to the Porgera town, where a large gold mine is located, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
