Over six hundred and seventy fatalities have been reported due to a major landslide in Papua New Guinea, occurring on Sunday.
Enga Province’s Kaokalam Village, situated around 600 kilometers northwest of Port Moresby, was almost entirely destroyed by the landslide in the early morning hours. Numerous residences with individuals inside were buried as a result.
According to the head of the UN migration mission, Serhan Aktoprak, it is estimated that over 670 individuals are currently buried under the earth. However, he noted that the new death toll estimation is not certain, as it was based on the average number of people in households within the region.
The UN agency’s representative disclosed that approximately 150 houses are now submerged.
As of Sunday evening, only five bodies and a limb of a sixth victim had been successfully recovered.
Reuters stated that 1,250 individuals have been displaced, with over 250 houses in the vicinity abandoned by residents seeking temporary refuge with family and friends.
The landslide left an 8-meter (25-foot) deep debris field spread over a 200 square kilometer (80 square mile) area, impeding road access and complicating relief operations, as reported by the aid organization CARE Australia.
