Thousands Ordered To Evacuate In Papua New Guinea Amid Second Landslide Fears

The Papua New Guinea government has ordered thousands of residents to evacuate from the path of a still-active landslide. Earlier, the country's national disaster centre reportedly said that the recent landslide in the remote village in the northern part of the country "buried more than 2000 people alive."

Military personnel are helping move residents to evacuation centres. Rescue operations are still ongoing in the northern Enga region, and local authorities reported that the remains of only five people have been recovered so far. Residents said they have been using their bare hands to search for survivors. "The landslide is still active, as people are digging through the rocks, more is still coming down," Enga province disaster committee chairperson Sandis Tsaka told Reuters. 

At the same time, the government said that more than 2,000 people were killed in the landslide. The Associated Press reported that this figure was revealed in a letter written by the acting director of the country's National Disaster Center to the UN resident coordinator. The letter also revealed that the landslide caused “major destruction” at Yambali village in the Enga province. Meanwhile, India announced immediate relief assistance worth $1 million to Papua New Guinea in the wake of the devastating landslide.