- The landslide affected the Papua New Guinea village of Kaokalam in Enga province.
Heartbreaking video footage of a landslide that wiped out an “entire village” in Papua New Guinea has shown the extent of the devastation left by the natural disaster.
More than 100 people are believed to have died in the landslide that hit the village of Kaokalam in Enga province, about 600 kilometers northwest of the South Pacific island nation’s capital, Port Moresby, around 3 p.m. early Friday morning, local time.
A video shows a local villager filming the scene after the landslide, with his camera panning to reveal collapsed houses and trees.
They can be heard speaking in a local dialect while others can be heard crying in the background.
Residents say current estimates of the death toll exceed 100, although authorities have not confirmed this figure.
Harrowing video of a landslide that wiped out an “entire village” in Papua New Guinea has shown the extent of the devastation left by the natural disaster.
More than 100 people are believed to have died in the landslide that hit the village of Kaokalam in Enga province, about 600 kilometers northwest of the South Pacific island nation’s capital, Port Moresby, around 3 p.m. early Friday morning, local time.
Villagers say the death toll could be much higher.
Countless homes were destroyed by the landslide, although it is understood that many of the residents sleeping inside may have been buried under the rubble.
Vincent Pyati, president of the local Community Development Association, said the number of victims was unknown.
‘The landslide occurred around three o’clock last night and it appears that more than 100 houses were buried. “It is not yet known how many people were in those houses,” he told AFP.
Elizabeth Laruma, who heads a women’s business association in Porgera, a town in the same province near the Porgera gold mine, said houses were swept away when a mountainside gave way.
“It happened when people were still sleeping in the early hours of the morning and the whole town sank,” Laruma told ABC.
“From what I can guess, this is more than 100 people buried underground.”
He said the landslide blocked the road between Porgera and the village, raising concerns about the town’s own supply of fuel and goods.
Village resident Ninga Role, who was away when the landslide occurred, expects at least four of her relatives to have died.
‘There are some huge stones and plants, trees. “The buildings collapsed,” said Mrs. Role.
“These things make it difficult to find the bodies quickly.”
People gather at the site of a landslide in Maip Mulitaka, Enga province, Papua New Guinea, on May 24, 2024.
Countless homes were destroyed by the landslide, although it is understood that many of the residents sleeping inside may have been buried under the rubble.
Vincent Pyati, president of the local Community Development Association, said the number of victims was unknown.
