Papua New Guinea: Hundreds feared dead in massive landslide

By Linda Bordoni

Emergency search and rescue teams are on the ground in a remote mountainous part of Papua New Guinea where Kaokalam village was buried by a landslide early Friday.

Authorities said it is feared that more than 100 people are dead, but villagers said the number of people killed could be much higher.

More than 50 homes, most with people sleeping inside, were overrun by mud and stones, and buried, when the side of a mountain gave way, triggering a massive landslide at three in the morning.

Kaokalam village, in Enga province, is about 600 kilometres northwest of the South Pacific island’s capital, Port Moresby.

Papua’s Prime Minister, James Marape, said authorities were responding and that he would release information about the destruction and loss of life when it was available. In a statement, he extended his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the disaster.

 “We are sending in disaster officials, PNG Defense Force, and the Department of Works and Highways to start relief work, recovery of bodies, and reconstruction of infrastructure,” he added.

The landslide has also blocked the road to the village, raising concerns about the town's supply of fuel and goods. 

Helicopters are reportedly the only way to access the village in the mountainous interior region known as the Highlands.

Pope to visit PNG 

Papua New Guinea, which Pope Francis is scheduled to visit on the second leg of an Apostolic Journey in September, is a diverse, developing nation of mostly subsistence farmers with 800 languages.

With 10 million people, it is the most populous South Pacific nation after Australia. Telecommunications are poor, particularly outside Port Moresby where government data show 56% of the nation's social media users reside. Only 1.66 million people across the country use the internet and 85% of the population live in rural areas.

(Source: AP and Reuters)