At least 670 people have been killed in a landslide in Papua New Guinea, a United Nations official there said, which hit rural areas of the island nation early Friday, but search and rescue efforts have been hampered by difficulties in reaching the disaster site and the ongoing danger of ground movement.
The danger has forced many survivors to abandon their homes, according to Serhan Aktoprak, the International Organization for Migration's representative in Papua New Guinea, who estimates that more than 250 homes have been abandoned and around 1,250 people have been displaced.
Local authorities say the area in Enga province is densely populated and has a young population, and they fear many of the dead will be children under the age of 15.
Aktoprak said the local government had secured food and water for about 600 people, and a humanitarian convoy made up of local officials and members of the International Organization for Migration was heading to the area on Sunday. The convoy passed through the area on Saturday afternoon, delivering tarpaulins and water but no food.
Conditions are making distribution of supplies difficult. As of Sunday afternoon, landslides were continuing, rocks were falling and the soil was cracking due to rising pressure and flowing groundwater. No earthmoving equipment had arrived, and people were using shovels, rakes and other tools to search for bodies, Aktoprak said.
The area has been plagued by tribal clashes for the past few months. Fighting broke out between the two tribes on Saturday morning, raising concerns about the safety of people travelling along the only passable road. Eight people were killed and dozens of homes were burned down in the clashes, Aktoprak said.
The landslide hit the village at about 3 a.m. Friday while many residents were asleep, crushing homes. Some of the rocks, some bigger than shipping containers, buried houses and cut off a major highway.