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Over 2000 People Buried In Landslide in Papua New Guinea

  • By Thetripurapost Web Desk, Kaoklam, Papua New Guinea
  • May 27, 2024
  • 134

More than 2 thousand people are buried in the landslide in Kaoklam village of Papua New Guinea. According to news agency AFP, the government of Papua New Guinea itself has informed the United Nations (UN) about this.

According to Australian media ABC, the landslide occurred on May 24 at around 3 am local time in a village in Enga province, about 600 kilometers from Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. 

Landslides are still occurring there continuously for the last 4 days.

According to the local police, a part of Mount Mungalo in Kaoklam collapsed, causing debris to fall on the village. They said that the entire village was sleeping at that time, so they did not get a chance to escape.

'If help is not provided, the people buried under the rubble will die' The government of Papua New Guinea has appealed to the UN and international organizations for immediate help. 

According to the government, if help is not provided, the people buried under the rubble will die.

According to the Disaster Management of Papua New Guinea, agriculture has suffered the most damage, which has led to famine. The road leading to Kaoklam is also closed. Officials told the UN that landslides are still occurring there. 

This has increased the danger to the lives of the rescue team and the people present there. The army has also been sent to rescue the people.

Before the landslide, earthquake tremors were also felt in Papua New Guinea. The earthquake occurred 39 kilometers northwest of Finschhafen and its magnitude was measured at 5.3 on the Richter scale. 

According to Indian time, this earthquake in Papua New Guinea occurred at 9:49 am on Thursday (May 23). The United States Geological Survey also confirmed the earthquake in Papua New Guinea.

After the heavy rains yesterday, it was feared that the debris spread in the area could become dangerous, which could create difficulties in rescue efforts. 

According to Al Jazeera's report, rescue teams are currently present at the site. However, the necessary things for the search have still not reached because the main road has been cut off. At present, helicopters are the only option to reach the affected area.

Only 6 bodies have been found so far after the landslide on Friday. The UN has said that the number of deaths may change. In such adverse conditions, a couple has miraculously been rescued alive 3 days after the landslide. When the rescue team reached the spot on Monday, they heard cries for help. After this, they were rescued.

Johnson and Jacqueline Yandam told NBC News that it was a 'miracle' to survive. They had no hope of surviving. 

They said that when the landslide happened, they thought they would die by being crushed under a huge rock, but that did not happen. The couple said that they feel that God has saved them alive for some special purpose.