Thousands buried

Millions in aid for Papua New Guinea after landslide

The people are desperate.

(Bild: AFP/APA/UN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME/Handout)

Australia and New Zealand have pledged millions in aid to the people in the disaster area in Papua New Guinea. At the end of last week, a huge landslide buried an entire village in the remote highland province of Enga. At least 2000 people are said to be buried under the masses of rubble.

Further landslides are to be expected, said the chairman of the Enga Province Disaster Committee, Sandis Tsaka, on Tuesday. The government of Papua New Guinea called on thousands of people to leave the endangered region. 

While people were digging for buried victims, masses of earth kept falling. A state of emergency has been declared in the landslide zone and neighboring areas in a remote part of the country. Between 4500 and 8000 people live there. According to Tsaka, not everyone was affected by the evacuations.

The consequences of the landslide are massive.

(Bild: AP/Juho Valta/UNDP Papua New Guinea)

Extremely difficult for aid workers
The evacuations in the disaster area are proving difficult. Due to the remote location, the impassable terrain and the tribal unrest in the region, the military is forced to escort the aid convoys, Tsaka continued. Heavy clearing equipment and relief supplies were only making slow progress towards the landslide area.

Help from neighboring countries
Australia has now announced that it will provide 2.5 million Australian dollars (around 1.5 million euros) in humanitarian aid to its northern neighbor. New Zealand promised 1.5 million New Zealand dollars (around 850,000 euros) on Tuesday. "As a close neighbor and friend, we will do everything we can to provide support," wrote Australian Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on X. The Australian armed forces are working closely with their counterparts in Papua New Guinea to coordinate the aid.

People are digging for buried victims with their bare hands.

(Bild: AFP/UN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME)

People completely desperate
Videos showed crying residents who had rubbed their faces with a yellow paste made of mud - a sign of mourning in parts of Papua New Guinea. Evit Kambu, an elderly woman from the community, told the BBC that 18 family members were buried under the high masses of stones and earth. Countless acquaintances from her village were also buried. She felt completely helpless. Many helpers dug in the mud with their bare hands and shovels - but almost always in vain. According to reports, only very few victims have been rescued so far.