A devastating landslide in Papua New Guinea has reportedly buried more than 2,000 people alive, according to a government official. The catastrophic event occurred on Friday in the mountainous interior of the South Pacific island nation.
In a letter to the United Nations resident coordinator dated Sunday, Luseta Laso Mana, the acting director of Papua New Guinea’s National Disaster Center, stated that the landslide “buried more than 2000 people alive” and caused “major destruction” in Yambali village, located in the Enga province. The official figure is significantly higher than the United Nations’ estimate of 670 casualties.
So far, the remains of only six victims have been recovered, highlighting the severity and scale of the disaster.
The Papua New Guinea government has formally requested international assistance to manage the aftermath of this tragedy. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is collaborating closely with the government and leading the international response, has maintained its initial death toll estimate of 670, pending further evidence.
The discrepancy in casualty estimates has raised questions, and it remains unclear how officials arrived at the higher figure of 2,000 buried. The need for immediate international support and resources is critical as efforts continue to search for survivors and manage the extensive damage caused by the landslide.
