More than 100 feared dead in massive Papua New Guinea landslide
‘Entire village’ wiped out by landslide that struck at 3am when people were in their beds
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.More than 100 people are feared dead after a huge landslide struck a remote mountainous area of Papua New Guinea on Friday.
The landslide struck while people were sleeping, at around 3am local time, tearing through the village of Kaokalam in Enga province, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Residents say current estimates of the death toll are above 100, although this figure has not been confirmed by authorities.
Villagers say the number killed could be much higher, with video on social media showing locals pulling out buried bodies.
Elizabeth Laruma, who runs a women’s business association in Porgera, a town in the same province near the Porgera gold mine, said houses were flattened when the side of a mountain gave way.
“It has occurred when people were still asleep in the early hours, and the entire village has gone down,” Ms Laruma told ABC news.
“From what I can presume, it’s about 100-plus people who are buried beneath the ground.”
She 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 struck, expects at least four of his relatives to have died.
“There are some huge stones and plants, trees. The buildings collapsed,” Ms Role said.
“These things are making it hard to find the bodies fast.”
The Papua New Guinea government and police did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.
Papua New Guinea is a diverse, developing nation of mostly subsistence farmers with 800 languages. There are few roads outside the larger cities.
With 10 million people, it is the most populous South Pacific nation after Australia, home to 27 million.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments