Days after landslides hit Papua New Guinea, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration raised its estimated death toll to more than 670, The Associated Press reported Sunday.
The rising death toll comes as many emergency workers and local families reportedly had given up hope of finding any survivors in the aftermath of Friday’s disaster. AP.
U.N. representative Serhan Aktpurak told The Associated Press that initial estimates were that 60 homes had been destroyed, but local authorities had revised that figure to 150. (Related article: “People buried under rubble”: Two magnitude 6.3 earthquakes hit Afghanistan, killing 15 and injuring nearly 40)
Massive landslide in Papua New Guinea kills more than 670, UN estimates, survivors seek safety https://t.co/i5MFeFzzWt via translator
— St. Catharines Standard (@StCatStandard) May 26, 2024
“At this point, we estimate there are more than 670 people buried underground,” Aktoprak told The Associated Press.
Rescue efforts have been hampered by unstable ground, fighting between local tribes and limited access to heavy machinery, and by Sunday only five bodies and the leg of a possible sixth victim had been recovered, according to the Associated Press.
Rescue workers were giving up hope of finding survivors buried 20 to 26 feet under the rubble, the media reported, but the government was considering requesting more international help.
In addition to the rising death toll, authorities believe another 250 homes are unsafe as the ground is still shifting, leaving more than 1,200 people homeless, according to the Associated Press.
“People are coming to terms with this and there is a great deal of sadness and grief,” Aktoprak said.
Aktoprak did not say whether the death toll could be higher, but told The Associated Press that the new estimates were “not certain” because they were based on the average household size in the region.
“That’s difficult. We want to be pretty realistic,” Aktoprak said. “We don’t want to give numbers that overstate reality.”
Justin McMahon, head of humanitarian group CARE International, said the top priority was moving survivors to “more stable locations” and providing them with food, water and shelter, according to the Associated Press.
Officials were still trying to estimate the number of injured and missing on Sunday, and Aktoprak said the government expected to decide by Tuesday on requesting more international aid, the Associated Press reported.
According to the media, Papua New Guinea is a diverse and developing South Pacific island nation with a population of 10 million, most of whom are subsistence farmers, and 800 languages are reportedly spoken throughout the country.
