MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape visited the site of a catastrophic landslide on Friday, which is believed to have buried hundreds of villagers in the mountainous interior of the South Pacific island nation. The landslide, occurring a week ago, has left the ground too unstable for the deployment of heavy earthmoving machinery.
Addressing hundreds near the devastated Yambali village, Marape shared that condolences have poured in from global leaders and governments, including the United States, China, India, France, Malaysia, and the Czech Republic. The first to send condolences was U.K. King Charles III, Papua New Guinea’s constitutional head of state. “My people are simple people. I want to say thank you for them to the global friends of PNG,” Marape expressed.
The first mechanized excavator arrived at the scene on Sunday but
has yet to begin removing the massive debris of boulders, rocks, and splintered trees covering a 150-to-200-meter stretch of Enga province’s main highway. The area’s instability has delayed the use of heavy machinery. Geotechnical assessments indicate the potential for further landslides if disturbed.
The nation’s military anticipated the arrival of up to 10 excavators and bulldozers to assist the villagers, who have been using spades and farming tools to painstakingly recover bodies. So far, they have found only seven. The United Nations estimates 670 villagers perished in the disaster, with 1,650 survivors displaced. The PNG government estimates over 2,000 people might be buried under the landslide.
Marape emphasized the need for a comprehensive stability assessment before deploying heavy machinery to avoid triggering another landslide. “That’s why we haven’t used heavy machinery in case it triggers something,” he said.
Additionally, a dispute between local landowners and a nearby gold mine, along with the sensitivities of grieving villagers, complicates the mechanized removal of the debris. Enga Governor Peter Ipatas urged local landowners not to obstruct earthmoving equipment from the Porgera Gold Mine, located 30 kilometers away, due to financial disputes with the mine’s owner. The mine, which has been isolated by the landslide, has offered its equipment to help clear the highway.
Karo Lelai, the mine’s manager, confirmed the offer but did not elaborate on what equipment had been proposed or the specific obstacles to its deployment. Local politician Jaman Yadam warned that unless the mine’s owner meets the landowners’ financial demands, the landslide site would remain a mass burial ground, blocking road access to the mine.
Some survivors expressed a desire to leave the highway debris as a memorial, where they could place flowers to honor the dead, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Angela Kearney, who leads UNICEF in Papua New Guinea, visited Yambali on Friday and voiced concern about the traumatized children’s reluctance to interact. With over 40% of the region’s population under 16 years old and around half of the children undernourished, UNICEF emphasized the urgency of providing supplies and trained personnel to assess and support the most vulnerable children. “A shock like this can turn them into severe-acute malnutrition very quickly, so we need to get supplies and trained people to make sure we measure the kids, and we look at the most vulnerable ones very quickly,” Kearney said.
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