the balance of the tragedy in Papua New Guinea

More than 2,000 people may have been buried by the huge landslide that devastated the village of Yambali, while a UN agency estimates 670 dead. The presence of conflicts between local tribal groups makes aid operations difficult. Food and psychological help is needed. sources: in the area “there are Lutheran and Adventist churches”, while “Catholics are few.”

Port Moresby () – More than 2,000 people could have been buried alive by a huge landslide that devastated a remote area of ​​Papua New Guinea on May 24, while the treacherous terrain and the difficulty of getting aid to the area They decrease the possibility of finding survivors. There remains much uncertainty about the real number of deaths: a UN agency in the country speaks of around 670 deaths, while the Png Disaster Management Team (DMT) Secretariat speaks of a much higher figure, more than two thousand. The discrepancy in the estimate reflects the difficulties in formulating a reliable and accurate balance, as well as the problems associated with the isolation of the affected area.

He land displacement It hit the village of Yambali, in the north of the country, around 3 a.m. on May 24, while most of the community was sleeping. More than 150 homes were buried by debris almost two stories high. Rescue teams told local media that they heard screams coming from underground, but search and rescue operations for the missing are complicated.

sources in the country report that the village “is part of the Kasap parish” and is located “along the road that leads to the Pogera mine” and it is precisely the mining operations that could be the cause. of the disaster, also because no meteorological emergencies have occurred. Also in the area, the source continues, “there are Lutheran and Adventist churches,” while “there are few Catholics.”

“I have 18 members of my family buried under the rubble” and “many other members of the village who I cannot contact,” Evit Kambu, a local resident, told Reuters. He says he feels “helpless” for not being able to “recover the bodies.” More than 72 hours after the landslide, residents are still using shovels, sticks and bare hands to try to move the debris and reach the survivors or missing people. The arrival of heavy equipment and aid has been slow due to the remote location, but also the dangers of a conflict between local tribal groups taking place nearby. Clashes and violence are forcing aid workers to travel in convoys escorted by soldiers and return at night to the provincial capital, some 60 km away.

Eight people died and 30 houses burned in the tribal war on May 25, according to a UN official. Today, aid convoys have passed by the remains of the still smoldering houses. The first excavator did not arrive on the scene until yesterday afternoon, and only six bodies have been recovered so far.

Contact with other parts of the country is difficult due to irregular reception in communications due to electrical restrictions in place.

In a note, the DMT communications office emphasizes that “the UN continues to work with local authorities to verify preliminary estimates of injured, missing and dead. “The UN humanitarian coordination team has arrived in Wabag and is working with the provincial committee to coordinate the response.” “Clean water, food, clothing, shelter items, cooking utensils and medicine remain urgent priorities for survivors. Materials are also needed for the safe and dignified disposal of bodies,” the statement concludes, “and psychosocial support remains an absolute priority.”

According to Matthew Hewitt Tapus, a Port Moresby pastor whose home village is about 20 km from the disaster area, many people are not even sure where their loved ones were when the landslide occurred. In fact, it is common practice among residents to stay with friends and relatives. “Not everyone is in the same house at the same time, so,” explains the Christian leader, “there are fathers who don’t know where their children are, mothers who don’t know where their husbands are. “It’s chaos.”

Prime Minister James Marape’s office stated that the disaster was being managed by Png emergency authorities and that the head of government is in the capital, Port Moresby, to prepare for the return of Parliament tomorrow, where he will face a motion of censure. Even now there is a risk of earth and debris shifting again and more than 250 houses have been abandoned as authorities encourage people to evacuate. More than 1,250 people have been displaced, while some locals do not want heavy machinery and bulldozers to enter the town and interrupt the mourning.