Attachments
What happened, where and when?
A landslide occurred on Friday 24th May 2024 at 03:00 a.m. in Yambali village, Maip Mulitaka LLG of Lagaip-Porgera District, Enga Province, Papua New Guinea. Preliminary reports from the provincial government's office and IOM suggested a number of deaths b confirmed data has not yet been released. Further numbers of casualties and other details are yet to be verified. Estimation of a minimum 7,849 population have been affected by this disaster.
The landslide has blocked off the main highway that also leads to one of the mine site (Porgera Mine). This will also affect communities on the other side as there is no other load to access for food and other supplies for affected people.
This is one of the largest devasting disaster, that nearly wiped out a whole village. Enga province is also known for continuous tribal fighting and thus making the area a high security risk.
Scope and Scale
The landslide had occurred in the early hours of morning leading to blocking of main highway road resulted in the whole village has been inaccessible. There is much needed support to be provided to this affected population including clean and safe water as their water sources are already contaminated. Potential high figure of children becoming orphaned by either losing a parent or a both parents are expected. They are still in a traumatized state where psychosocial support is needed. The affected population have lost their livelihood and means of survival, as their food gardens and other means of livelihood are destroyed. So, there is need to provide significant humanitarian support.
Due to extent of the damage and lack of official information in relation to total population in the affected area, there is still no further confirmation on the total number of deaths, as data and information are still being collated. Enga Provincial Administration office has been working closely with the Disaster Management Team (DMT) secretariat and other humanitarian partners who are present on the ground providing essential needed items, such as food and water.
There are longstanding conflict and rivalries in the surrounding areas that are providing an extra layer of complexity to the situation.
These underlying tensions need to be taken into consideration for coordination, planning and implementation of activities to support the affected population.
PNG's Defence Force is leading search and rescue efforts. The site's remoteness, ongoing terrain movement and damage to access roads are all slowing relief efforts. Government authorities remain focusing on clearing debris and improving access to the site. PNG Defence Force expertise and resources are being mobilized to the affected site. This includes engineers and heavy earth moving equipment. These efforts are being closely coordinated with local and national authorities, the UN and other partners in the field. Search and recovery operations remain hampered by poor access and the continuing instability of the affected site. Debris remains unstable and is posing various risks for the safe conduct of operations. This is further delaying progress made more difficult by the remoteness of the affected area.
Provincial authorities underlined that the unpredictable nature of the landslide causes an urgent need for geohazard assessments and services to be conducted. This is something the Government of Australia has offered to assist. Gradual and expanded evacuation plans are being considered, with potential long-term relocation options under consideration to ensure the safety of the affected population.
An evacuation area was established over the weekend. This is being managed by PNG Defence Force personnel.
While the exact number of fatalities is still not known, affected communities estimate that a significant number of people are missing following the landslide, this number is subject to change as rescue efforts are ongoing and expected to continue for days. The UN continues to work with local authorities to verify preliminary estimates of injured, missing and dead.
The UN (IOM, UNDP, UNICEF) and other development partners (World Vision, Care) continue to assist Government authorities with disaster coordination and response efforts. Necessary relief supplies including emergency shelter, food and water, are being prepared for transport and distribution. This follows a limited, preliminary distribution of such items over the weekend.
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordination Team has reached Wabag and is supporting the Provincial Disaster Committee with coordination of the response. The Provincial Administration has prepared additional food and Household (HH) supplies for distribution to the affected population. The PNG Defence Force provides security escorts to ensure the safe passage of relief convoys, especially in light of an unrelated clan dispute in Tambitanis, which has caused further casualties and property damage.