Current:Home > NewsMore than 100 people believed killed by a landslide in Papua New Guinea, Australian media report-LoTradeCoin
More than 100 people believed killed by a landslide in Papua New Guinea, Australian media report
View Date:2024-12-23 20:26:37
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — More than 100 people are believed to have been killed Friday in a landslide that buried a village in a remote part of Papua New Guinea, Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
The landslide reportedly hit Kaokalam village in Enga province, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) northwest of the South Pacific island nation’s capital of Port Moresby, at roughly 3 a.m. local time (15:00 GMT), ABC reported.
Residents say current estimates of the death toll are above 100, although authorities have not confirmed this figure. Villagers said the number of people killed could be much higher.
Videos on social media show locals pulling out bodies buried under rocks and trees.
The Papua New Guinea government and police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Elizabeth Laruma, who runs a women’s business association in Porgera, a town in the same province near the Porgera Gold Mine, said village 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,” Laruma told ABC. “From what I can presume, it’s about 100-plus people who are buried beneath the ground.”
The landslide blocked the road between Porgera and the village, she said, 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 have died.
“There are some huge stones and plants, trees. The buildings collapsed,” Role said. “These things are making it hard to find the bodies fast.”
Belinda Kora, a Port Moresby-based ABC reporter, said authorities had yet to make any official comment more than 12 hours after the disaster.
Kora said helicopter was the only way of accessing the village which is in the mountainous interior region known as the Highlands with the main road closed.
Papua New Guinea is a diverse, developing nation of mostly subsistence farmers with 800 languages. There are few roads outside the larger cites.
With 10 million people, it is also the most populous South Pacific nation after Australia, which is home to some 27 million.
Telecommunications are poor, particularly outside Port Moresby where government data shows 56% of the nation’s social media users reside. Only 1.66 million people across the country use the internet and 85% of the population live in rural areas.
veryGood! (9438)
Related
- All the Ways Megan Fox Hinted at Her Pregnancy With Machine Gun Kelly
- Son of El Chapo and Sinaloa cartel members hit with U.S. sanctions over fentanyl trafficking
- Ashley Graham Celebrates Full Circle Moment Hosting HGTV's Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge
- Russia blames Ukraine for car bombing that injured pro-Putin novelist Zakhar Prilepin, killed driver
- Mike Tyson impresses crowd during workout ahead of Jake Paul fight
- Lucy Liu Reveals She Took Nude Portraits of Drew Barrymore During Charlie’s Angels
- 1000-Lb. Sisters’ Amy Slaton and Husband Michael Halterman Break Up After 4 Years of Marriage
- You’ll Get Happy Endorphins Seeing This Legally Blonde Easter Egg in Gilmore Girls
- The boy was found in a ditch in Wisconsin in 1959. He was identified 65 years later.
- Why Zach Braff Wanted to Write a Movie for Incredible Ex Florence Pugh
Ranking
- Repair Hair Damage In Just 90 Seconds With This Hack from WNBA Star Kamilla Cardoso
- Election officials feared the worst. Here's why baseless claims haven't fueled chaos
- How the cookie became a monster
- More than 1,000 trafficking victims rescued in separate operations in Southeast Asia
- College Football Playoff bracket: Complete playoff picture after latest rankings
- Transcript: Rep. Patrick McHenry on Face the Nation, May 7, 2023
- FTC sues to block the $69 billion Microsoft-Activision Blizzard merger
- Paging Devil Wears Prada Fans: Anne Hathaway’s Next Movie Takes Her Back into the Fashion World
Recommendation
-
As the transition unfolds, Trump eyes one of his favorite targets: US intelligence
-
Jamie Lee Curtis Shares Photo of Foot in Medical Boot After Oscar Win
-
California drivers can now sport digital license plates on their cars
-
Elon Musk said Twitter wouldn't become a 'hellscape.' It's already changing
-
Shocked South Carolina woman walks into bathroom only to find python behind toilet
-
Pakistan riots over Imran Khan's arrest continue as army deployed, 8 people killed in clashes
-
From Tesla to SpaceX, what Elon Musk touches turns to gold. Twitter may be different
-
Two women who allege they were stalked and harassed using AirTags are suing Apple