Massive landslide hits Papua New Guinea, many feared dead

PORT MORESBY

More than 100 people are believed to have been killed on May 24 in a landslide that buried a village in a remote, mountainous part of Papua New Guinea, and an emergency response is underway, the South Pacific island nation's leader and news media said.

The landslide reportedly hit Kaokalam village in Enga province, about 600 kilometers northwest of the capital, Port Moresby, at roughly 3 a.m.

Residents said estimates of the death toll were above 100, although authorities have not confirmed that figure. Villagers said the number of people killed could be much higher.

Prime Minister James Marape said authorities were responding.

“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.

Videos on social media showed residents pulling out bodies buried under rocks and trees.

Papua New Guinea is a diverse, developing nation of mostly subsistence farmers with 800 languages. There are few roads outside the larger cites.

With 10 million people, it is also the most populous South Pacific nation after Australia, which is home to some 27 million.

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 lives in rural areas.