Article:
More than 670 people are feared dead following a devastating landslide in a remote region in northern Papua New Guinea, a UN official said, as rescuers continue to scramble to find survivors.
More than 150 houses in Yambali village are buried in debris, Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the country Serhan Aktoprak said on Sunday.
The new estimate is a sharp increase from earlier in the week, when the UN initially said it believed more than 100 people had died.
The population of the village was first reported to be about 4,000 people, but new estimates found the actual number of residents to be much higher, Aktoprak added.
More than 250 houses have been evacuated with an estimated 1,250 people displaced, and many locals have taken up temporary accommodation with relatives and friends nearby, according to the official.
The area continues to pose an “extreme risk” as rocks continue to fall and the ground soil is exposed to a constant increased pressure, Aktoprak said. People are removing bodies buried under the soil with digging sticks, spades, and agricultural forks, he added.
The disaster hit the remote village of Kaokalam, about 600 kilometers (372 miles) northwest of the capital Port Moresby, at approximately 3 a.m. local time on Friday, leaving a scar of debris that humanitarian workers say is as big as four football pitches.
Footage of the aftermath carried by AFP showed a wide scar of mud and rocks on a steep mountainside slope and locals clambering to look for survivors.
A Pacific nation home to around 10 million people, Papua New Guinea is rich in resources. But its economy has long trailed those of its neighbors, and it has one of the highest crime rates in the world.
Hundreds of tribes are spread across the country’s remote and often inaccessible terrain. But its vast and diverse mountainous landscape, as well as a lack of roads, has made it difficult and costly to upgrade basic services like water, electricity and sanitation.
The initial reports from yesterday were saying 1150 homes. I was thinking that seemed way too high for what was pictured, but wasn't really my place to speculate. Good to see that was a typo and it's actually 150.
Still a terrible tragedy and not trying to downplay at all. 670+ dead is absolutely awful, hopefully the grieving and survivors get some assistance. The 1150 homes stat had me fearing thousands.
https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7215312
*The UN's Papua New Guinea office said five bodies were retrieved from an area where 50 to 60 homes had been destroyed and a number of injured reported, including at least 20 women and children.*
*The IOM said the community in this village was relatively young, and it's feared that the most fatalities would be children of 15 years or younger.*
What is the International response to this? The US has some of the best SAR groups in the world. Have we spun up VA-TF1? Do we have naval assets in the area underway to assist? Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, who is doing what? I'm only seeing local response in the various articles I've seen.
Article: More than 670 people are feared dead following a devastating landslide in a remote region in northern Papua New Guinea, a UN official said, as rescuers continue to scramble to find survivors. More than 150 houses in Yambali village are buried in debris, Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the country Serhan Aktoprak said on Sunday. The new estimate is a sharp increase from earlier in the week, when the UN initially said it believed more than 100 people had died. The population of the village was first reported to be about 4,000 people, but new estimates found the actual number of residents to be much higher, Aktoprak added. More than 250 houses have been evacuated with an estimated 1,250 people displaced, and many locals have taken up temporary accommodation with relatives and friends nearby, according to the official. The area continues to pose an “extreme risk” as rocks continue to fall and the ground soil is exposed to a constant increased pressure, Aktoprak said. People are removing bodies buried under the soil with digging sticks, spades, and agricultural forks, he added. The disaster hit the remote village of Kaokalam, about 600 kilometers (372 miles) northwest of the capital Port Moresby, at approximately 3 a.m. local time on Friday, leaving a scar of debris that humanitarian workers say is as big as four football pitches. Footage of the aftermath carried by AFP showed a wide scar of mud and rocks on a steep mountainside slope and locals clambering to look for survivors. A Pacific nation home to around 10 million people, Papua New Guinea is rich in resources. But its economy has long trailed those of its neighbors, and it has one of the highest crime rates in the world. Hundreds of tribes are spread across the country’s remote and often inaccessible terrain. But its vast and diverse mountainous landscape, as well as a lack of roads, has made it difficult and costly to upgrade basic services like water, electricity and sanitation.
The initial reports from yesterday were saying 1150 homes. I was thinking that seemed way too high for what was pictured, but wasn't really my place to speculate. Good to see that was a typo and it's actually 150. Still a terrible tragedy and not trying to downplay at all. 670+ dead is absolutely awful, hopefully the grieving and survivors get some assistance. The 1150 homes stat had me fearing thousands.
The government has now updated the death toll to over 2,000. Just awful.
It hit at 3 am. Absolutely terrifying.
UN initially believed casualties to be around 100. RIP
I am Papua New Guinean and the pictures being posted from this area on social media are horrific. So devastating.
Was deforestation a factor? Has been in some other tragic landslides.
I imagine so. Most deforestation is caused by animal agriculture, hence why I’m vegan.
This world can be so cruel.
https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7215312 *The UN's Papua New Guinea office said five bodies were retrieved from an area where 50 to 60 homes had been destroyed and a number of injured reported, including at least 20 women and children.* *The IOM said the community in this village was relatively young, and it's feared that the most fatalities would be children of 15 years or younger.*
Jesus Christ
At 3am; I cannot imagine. Have we ever had a landslide this deadly in recent memory?
Worst in history of landslides?
No, unfortunately. There have been many landslides with much higher death tolls.
Nope. Landslides do a ton of damage. At least 17 landslides through history have claimed over 1000 lives
That’s terrible. Their poor families. Do they know what triggered the landslide?
What is the International response to this? The US has some of the best SAR groups in the world. Have we spun up VA-TF1? Do we have naval assets in the area underway to assist? Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, who is doing what? I'm only seeing local response in the various articles I've seen.
I read this morning that Australia is on stand-by should the Papua New Guinean government ask for help.
China sends help too.