More than 300 people have been buried by a landslide in the village of Kaokalam in Papua New Guinea.
Leaders Online Desk: More than 300 people have been buried by a landslide in the village of Kaokalam in remote Papua New Guinea, Australia. They are currently being searched. Local media said this on Saturday (25th). Hundreds of people are missing in a landslide in the village of Kaokalam in Enga province, about 600 km from the capital Port Moresby, around 9 pm on Friday. Based on this, the local newspaper Papua New Guinea Post Courier based on the statement of the Member of Parliament Amos Akem said that the death toll is likely to increase as about 300 people are missing due to the landslide. More than 1182 people have been buried under the debris.
The entire village of Kaokalam was engulfed in dust early on Friday (24th) local time. It is 600 kilometers from Port Moresby, the capital of PNG. Although local authorities have not confirmed the figures, local residents believe the death toll is rising Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has been told Also according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the highway has been closed to traffic due to the collapse and there is currently no option but to take a helicopter.
Prime Minister James Marape expressed his condolences
Australian Prime Minister James Marape has expressed his condolences over the incident. Also, disaster officials and defense forces have started efforts to provide assistance to the residents of the rural areas, and they have informed that they have reached the spot.
After the disaster, Porgera Women in Business Association president Elizabeth LaRuma said, “Many houses have collapsed due to landslides. Many trees here have been destroyed in the landslide. Due to this, there are many difficulties in tracing the buried people. LaRuma has announced immediate assistance to the region from government and non-government organizations due to this tragedy.”
Earthquake tremors were felt before the landslide
Strong tremors were also felt in Kaokal, Papua New Guinea, before the landslide. The earthquake was located 39 kilometers northwest of Finshafen. Its magnitude was 5.3 on the Richter scale. This has also been confirmed by the United States Geological Survey.
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