An estimated 2,000 villagers were buried when part of a mountain in the Pacific island’s remote northern province of Enga sheared away on Friday, creating an “exploding bomb” of rocks, debris and mud.
Survivors said the landslide rushed towards homes “like a sea wave”, destroying everything in its path for half a mile.
Relief organisations and the military have rushed to assist locals, who have been using shovels and their bare hands to try to rescue survivors, hindered by rubble as deep as 30 feet in some places.
The authorities now fear a second landslide could occur due to debris being destabilised by rain.
“The landslide area is very unstable. When we’re up there, we’re regularly hearing big explosions where the mountain is, there is still rocks and debris coming down,” Sandis Tsaka, the disaster committee chairperson for Enga province, told Reuters.
“We are hearing suggestions that another landslide can happen and maybe 8,000 people need to be evacuated,” said Serhan Aktoprak, chief of the International Organisation for Migration’s mission in Papua New Guinea.
Hopes are fading for survivors and the death toll is still difficult to confirm due to the scale of the destruction.
“I have 18 of my family members buried under the debris and soil that I am standing on, and a lot more family members in the village I cannot count,” a woman called Evit Kambu told Reuters.
There are also rising fears of disastrous disease outbreak due to the number of unrecovered bodies and the risk of contamination of drinking water.
Aid agencies say the area is extremely difficult to access – especially with heavy equipment – due to the treacherous terrain and damaged roads.
UNICEF on Tuesday said it was intensifying its emergency response alongside the Papua New Guinea Defence Force.
“It’s now clear that over 40 per cent of those impacted are children under the age of 16 who have been deeply traumatised by the loss of their families, homes, and livelihoods,” said Angela Kearney, a UNICEF representative.
António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, sent “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the victims and to Papua New Guinea, saying “the UN stands ready to offer additional assistance at this challenging time”, after the government formally requested help.
