Port Moresby: Landslides have hit Papua New Guinea’s highlands, and local officials and aid groups say many people are in fear of death.
The accident happened at 3:00 am local time in the village of Kaokalam in the remote province of Enga, Papua New Guinea.
Photos of the incident show a large amount of stones and dirt biting off a thicket of vegetation.
A long, wide trail of car-sized rocks, fallen trees, and dirt stretches to the valley floor.
The remains of many crafts can be seen at the base of a large landslide.
Dozens of local men and women peered into piles of stones and dirt, dug, cried, listened to survivors or surveyed the scene in disbelief.
Some immediately became rescuers, donning Wellington boots, strapping on head torches and grabbing knives and long-handled axes to help clear the debris.
Children who were held on their mothers’ backs were heard crying as they walked.
“There were about three landslides last night and it seems that more than 100 houses were buried. It is not yet known how many people are in their houses,” Vincent Pyati, president of the local Community Development Association, told AFP.
“The number of victims is unknown.”
Aid organizations such as the Papua New Guinea Red Cross and CARE said they had received confirmation of the landslide but were working to get more information.
The region, which is located south of the equator, often experiences heavy rain.
At least 23 people were killed in a landslide in a nearby province in March.
