Terrifying deadly landslide in Papua New Guinea

Port Moresby [Papua New Guinea], May 28: The Papua New Guinea government recently informed the UN that more than 2,000 people were buried alive in a landslide in the country last week.
The number of people buried in a landslide in Enga province in northern Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the early morning of May 24 was based on local government estimates and this number has increased rapidly. Aid agencies and local leaders initially feared between 100 and 300 people would die.
Then, PNG's National Disaster Center (NDC) raised the death toll to more than 2,000 in a letter sent to the UN office in the capital Port Moresby on May 26 and published yesterday (May 27), according to Reuters. Meanwhile, a UN agency on May 26 estimated that more than 670 people died.
"No one escapes"
In a letter sent to the UN, the NDC also wrote that the landslide caused "great destruction to houses, food gardens and greatly affected the economic lifeline of the country". NDC affirmed: "The situation remains unstable as the landslide continues to move slowly, posing constant danger to both the rescue team as well as survivors."
The landslide occurred mainly in Yambali village at around 3:00 a.m. on May 24 (local time), while most people were sleeping. Teacher Jacob Sowai from a neighboring village said there were more than 2,000 people living in the disaster area, according to AFP. "No one escaped. We don't know who died because the records were buried," Mr. Sowai said.
The landslide left rubble up to 8 meters high, burying more than 150 houses, according to Reuters. "18 members of my family were buried under the rubble and dirt where I was standing, and there were many other family members in the village that I couldn't count. But I couldn't find the body so I had to standing here helpless," said a resident named Evit Kambu.
As of yesterday, rescue forces had only found 6 bodies. The UN said the death toll could change as rescue efforts are expected to continue for days, according to Reuters.
Rescue work took place slowly
More than 72 hours after the landslide, people are still using spades, sticks and bare hands to try to move debris, rocks and reach survivors. PNG press yesterday reported that people rescued a couple trapped under rubble after hearing their cries for help. The couple described their rescue as a miracle.
Unstable terrain in the landslide area, remote location and conflicts between nearby tribes are hindering relief efforts. A UN official said emergency rescue teams, led by the PNG defense force, were at the landslide area, but the first excavator only reached the site late on May 26.
Mr. Serhan Aktoprak, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) delegation in PNG, said that even if rescue teams could reach the landslide area, rain, unstable ground and flowing water would cause People and rescue teams cleaning up debris are in danger. Mr. Aktoprak added that there was still a risk of soil and debris shifting again and that more than 250 houses had been abandoned as officials advised people to evacuate. As of yesterday, more than 1,250 people were displaced.
According to Mr. Aktoprak, some people also do not want heavy machinery and excavators to enter the village and disrupt the funeral. However, Mr. Aktoprak emphasized that emergency rescue teams will continue to search for survivors until people ask them to stop, according to ABC Radio.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper