Emergency convoy reaches Papua New Guinea landslide survivorsExBulletin

An emergency convoy was delivering food, water and other supplies Saturday to stunned survivors of a landslide that destroyed a remote village in the mountains of Papua New Guinea and was suspected of burying many people, officials said.

An assessment team reported “suggestions” that 100 people were dead and 60 houses buried by the mountainside that collapsed in Enga province hours before dawn on Friday, said Serhan Aktoprak, the International Organization for Migration's chief of mission in the state. South Pacific islanders. .

Aktoprak admitted that if the number of buried houses estimated by local authorities was correct, the death toll could be higher.

“The scale is so great, I wouldn't be surprised if there were more victims than the 100 that was previously reported,” Aktoprak said. “If 60 houses had been destroyed, then the death toll would obviously be much higher than 100.”

Only three bodies were recovered early Saturday from the huge swath of earth, rocks and splintered trees that hit Yambali, a village of nearly 4,000 people that is 600 kilometers (370 miles) northwest of the capital, Port Moresby.

Medical treatment was provided to seven people, including a child, Aktoprak said. He had no information on the extent of their injuries.

“It is feared that the number of casualties and injuries will increase dramatically,” said Aktoprak, who is based in Port Moresby.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said on Friday he would release information about the extent of the destruction and loss of life when it becomes available.

All food gardens supporting the village's agricultural population were destroyed and three streams that provide drinking water were buried by the landslide, which also blocked the province's main highway.

A convoy left the provincial capital of Wabag carrying food, water and other essentials to the devastated village 35 miles away, Aktoprak said.

Villager Andrew Ruing said the survivors were in desperate need.

“People who can't cry or can't do anything because it's hard for them,” Ruing said in a video shown by the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “Because such a situation has never happened in history. Therefore, we appeal to the national government, the people on the ground, or the business houses, the heights from everywhere, wherever we ask for help.”

Aktoprak said that in addition to food and water, the villagers urgently needed shelter and blankets. Aid would be targeted at the most vulnerable, including children, women and the disabled and the elderly, he said.

Relief efforts delayed by debris

Relief efforts were delayed by a landslide that closed the province's main highway, which serves the Porgera gold mine and the neighboring town of Porgera.

Landslide debris, 20 to 25 feet deep, also knocked out power in the region, Aktoprak said.

Unstable terrain posed risks to relief efforts as well as to communities downstream.

Papua New Guinea is a diverse, developing nation of mostly subsistence farmers with 800 languages. Outside the big cities there are few roads.

With 10 million inhabitants, it is the most populous nation in the South Pacific after Australia, where about 27 million live.

The US and Australia say they are ready to respond

The United States and Australia are building closer defense ties with the strategically important nation, with China seeking closer security and economic ties.

US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said their governments were ready to help respond to the landslide.

Biden, who was set to become the first sitting US president to visit Papua New Guinea a year ago but canceled the trip to focus on a debt crisis in Congress, said he was heartbroken by the loss of life and destruction.

“Our prayers are with all the families affected by this tragedy and all the first responders who are putting themselves in harm's way to help their fellow citizens,” Biden said in a statement.

“The United States stands with Papua New Guinea as our close partner and friend today and always,” Biden added.

Albanese posted on social media platform X: “All Australians grieve for our brothers and sisters in Papua New Guinea after the terrible landslide.”

Australia is Papua New Guinea's immediate neighbor and the most generous provider of foreign aid.