As rescue efforts continue in remote northern Papua New Guinea, satellite images have revealed the scale of a devastating landslide that occurred on Friday.
Pictures showed extensive damage to villages in Enga province, where Papua New Guinea’s National Disaster Center said an estimated 2,000 people were buried. Satellite images showed piles of rubble covering buildings and blocking roads, which authorities say are hindering relief efforts.
Search and rescue efforts are continuing alongside recovery efforts led by the Papua New Guinea Defence Forces, and international aid groups are working to send food, water and shelter to the area but are facing challenges due to its remote location.
“This is an incredibly difficult part of Papua New Guinea and it will be a really difficult process for all involved,” said Australia’s Pacific Minister Pat Conroy, who pledged to send technical experts and $2.5 million in initial assistance.
“We’re told the site is only accessible by helicopter, which makes the search and recovery operation extremely challenging,” he told ABC News Breakfast on Tuesday.
Conroy described the situation as “incredibly dire”, adding that the true scale of the disaster was not yet known.
Serhan Aktoprak, the International Organization for Migration representative in Papua New Guinea, said conditions on the ground were hampering rescue and aid efforts, with rocks still falling from the mountains, soil cracking and water flowing under the rubble.
Aktoprak said survivors are hesitant to use heavy machinery in rescue efforts because they don’t want their relatives’ bodies to be harmed.
“I hope that in the short time we have left, we can at least contribute to the relief efforts and save more lives,” Aktoprak said. “But unfortunately, [time] They are not on our side.”
Local residents say they fear the economic impact of destroyed roads and other infrastructure will compound the impact of the disaster.
“The landslide has hit our community hard. This road was our lifeline, our connection to the outside world for trade and supplies, and now it’s gone,” said Oscar Frederick, a resident at the Tamundang-Maup checkpoint.
Many of the small farms and vegetable gardens that people depended on for their livelihoods were destroyed, many of the local livestock were lost, and three small streams that people relied on for drinking water were buried by landslides.
“Prices will skyrocket and basic goods like fuel will be in short supply,” said another local, adding that he feared secondary and long-term effects from the disaster. “We need government intervention to help us rebuild not just roads but our lives as well.”
Aktoprak said an estimated 6,000 people had been affected by the disaster so far, and that if survivors were to move to cities “it would cause further economic and social problems.”
Papua New Guinea’s Defense Minister Billy Joseph said the government was committed to helping communities rebuild and improve disaster preparedness. “Our main focus is continuing our relief and recovery training,” he said.
The Australian Press Agency and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
