Yambali Village of Lagaip Porgera District, Enga Province in Papua New Guinea is buried under between six to eight metres of soil and at least 670 people are believed to have perished, the United Nations has said. The devastating landslide occurred at 3:00 am on 24th May 2024

In a statement, the UN said that access roads to the affected site have been damaged, as has communications infrastructure. Search and rescue efforts are underway, although continuous landslides and falling boulders are affecting these efforts, it added.

Serhan Aktoprak, Head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Papua New Guinea, had earlier said that 150 houses are believed to be buried and some 670 people under the soil and “hopes of finding them alive are shrinking”.

The UN Official informed that IOM has six aid workers on site, alongside personnel from other UN agencies, NGOs and government agencies. However, the conditions remain dangerous for the workers; water continues to run down the mountain, and the land is still sliding. Falling boulders are also affecting relief efforts, he said.

Aktoprak mentioned that the landslide has displaced around 1,000 people, and it is feared that the death toll will rise. He said that in the absence of heavy machinery, helpers were using any available implements, such as spades and sticks, in an attempt to locate bodies.