Landslide in New Guinea would have buried more than 300 people

A massive landslide hit more than six villages in Papua New Guinea on Friday, where local authorities and associations They fear a large number of deaths from the collapse.

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The landslide that hit and buried a remote village in northern Papua New Guinea early Friday morning “he buried at least 300 people”according to local media in the country this Saturday, citing parliamentarian Aimos Aken, who asked the Government for help in the rescue efforts.

The parliamentarian added that the natural disaster that occurred in the province of Enga, about 600 kilometers northwest of the capital, Port Moresby, buried at least 1,182 houses.

The governor of the remote Enga province, Peter Ipatas, told AFP that a huge landslide in the early hours of the morning caused “loss of life and property.”

“More than six villages” were affected, said Ipatas, who said there was “an unprecedented natural disaster” which caused “substantial damage.”

Images from the place show a huge avalanche of rocks and sand that would have been detached from a hill full of vegetation and that extend to the bottom of a valley.

In these videos, dozens of men and women rush into the pile of rock and soil, digging, crying or trying to listen for sounds of possible survivors.

“The landslide took place around three in the morning and it seems that “More than a hundred houses were buried,” Vincent Pyati, president of a local association, told AFP. “The number of victims is unknown,” he added.

Witnesses told ABC that they are afraid of new landslides in this mountainous area and asked the Government to send support to guarantee the safety of the towns in the area.

According to a neighbor cited by the Australian network, Elizabeth Laruma, the houses were buried when the sudden avalanche from a nearby mountain took place, surprising the locals while they were sleeping. She claimed that “the entire town has disappeared.”

This island country located just south of the Equator usually receives heavy rainfall. But this year the rains and floods have been particularly intense.

In March, at least 23 people died due to a landslide in a nearby province.

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