Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is urgently evacuating approximately 7,900 residents from villages close to the site of the catastrophic landslide that hit the island country driven by fears of new landslides that might pose a major risk to the people, AFP said citing a provincial official. 

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With the evacuation effort fraught with the danger of rockfalls and treacherous terrain, Enga provincial administrator Sandis Tsaka in a statement said, "We're trying to evacuate."

"Every hour you can hear rock breaking – it is like a bomb or gunshot and the rocks keep falling down."

The massive landslide, which struck on May 24 has already buried over 2,000 people, as per government, a much higher tally than the initial estimates provided by the UN which reported over 670 possible deaths.

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The discrepancy highlighted the challenges in obtaining accurate data in the remote and mountainous region, where the last reliable census was conducted in 2000.

The disaster on May 24 struck six remote villages in the Maip-Mulitaka area of Enga province while most residents were asleep. More than 150 houses were submerged under debris. 

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Tribal conflict, international aid

Efforts to bring in heavy machinery and aid have been hampered by the area's isolation and nearby tribal conflicts. An excavator only reached the disaster site late Sunday (May 26) as the aid convoys required military escorts due to tribal warfare.

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Defence Minister Billy Joseph detailed the swift response involving both the Papua New Guinea and Australian Defence Forces within 24 hours. A military helicopter was also used for evacuations. 

International aid has begun to arrive, with Australia announcing an initial A$2.5 million ($1.66 million) aid package and China also pledging assistance.

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However, the conditions remain perilous, with rain and unstable ground complicating rescue efforts.

Serhan Aktoprak, the UN migration agency's mission chief in the island country, described the grim reality saying, "At this point, people I think are realising that the chances are very slim that anyone can basically be taken out alive."

Matthew Hewitt Tapus, a pastor in Port Moresby said, "It's not like everyone is in the same house at the same time, so you have fathers who don’t know where their children are, mothers who don’t know where husbands are, it's chaotic." 

(With inputs from agencies)