Port Moresby: Food and medicine began to arrive at the site of a deadly landslide in Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, as aid workers found children left paralyzed by the disaster.
The government of Papua New Guinea estimates that 2,000 people will be buried in the massive landslide that hit the prosperous highlands of Enga province early on May 24.
After several days of digging with improvised tools, only six bodies were pulled from the mound of dirt.
But as rescue teams give up hope of finding survivors beneath the mud and rubble, the community begins to take an emotional and physical toll.
Local mourners carry the corpse in a large “haus krai” funeral, a mass of love and grief that can last for weeks.
The images show a group of men carrying wooden coffins on their shoulders, crying in despair as they make their way through a forested valley.
Many children are believed to have been involved in the tragedy.
UNICEF Papua New Guinea’s Niels Kraaier said the landslide left nine orphans.
UNICEF said it had distributed hygiene kits of buckets, jugs and soap, while World Vision said food, shelter, blankets and mosquito nets were badly needed.
Full-scale rescue and relief efforts have been hampered by the site’s remote location, nearby tribal violence and landslides that cut off major road links.
