Rescue Efforts Conclude in Papua New Guinea Landslide Tragedy, Over 2,000 Feared Buried
Rescue operations end in Papua New Guinea’s Enga region landslide, with over 2,000 feared buried alive. Unstable soil and health risks halt searches as experts recommend evacuations.
Canberra, (Bollywood Fever): Rescue operations at the site of a landslide in Papua New Guinea will conclude on Thursday, two weeks after a portion of a mountain collapsed onto a remote village, a United Nations agency reported. The exact number of fatalities in the Enga region disaster remains unknown, but the national government estimated that over 2,000 people may have been buried alive. The U.N. estimated the death toll to be around 670.
Local authorities provided a 14-day window for search and rescue, which will end on Thursday, according to a statement from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Wednesday. “The provincial government will cease searching for bodies due to public health risks and the potential for new landslides, as the soil remains unstable,” the statement said. “The unrecovered bodies will be declared missing persons, and the landslide site will be designated a mass burial site with monuments erected.”
Geological experts from New Zealand have advised the evacuation of thousands of residents from a larger area due to the risk of another landslide, the IOM reported. “These areas are highly volatile, with cracks forming in the ground, necessitating immediate evacuation,” they stated.
Difficult terrain and tribal unrest in the area have delayed the arrival of heavy equipment and aid. PNG government officials ruled out the possibility of finding survivors under the rubble a week ago. The disaster site will be quarantined with restricted access to prevent the spread of disease from decaying bodies, according to the IOM.
Last week, PNG Prime Minister James Marape attributed the multiple disasters in the Pacific Island nation this year, including the landslide, to extraordinary rainfall and changes in weather patterns.
Also Read, Mysterious Disappearances: 21-Year-Old Woman and 2-Year-Old Child Missing on Same Day
