The site of a devastating landslide in Papua New Guinea estimated to have killed hundreds of villagers will become a “mass burial site” after a search for survivors ends Thursday, the United Nations says.
That’s when a 14-day window provided by local officials will expire in the affected area, which remains unstable and could lead to more landslides that threaten thousands more people.
“The unrecovered bodies will be declared missing persons, and the landslide site will be designated a mass burial site with monuments erected,” a spokesperson for the U.N. International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in an update on Wednesday.
The landslide came down in a remote and mountainous area of Enga province in the South Pacific country on May 24. Up to eight metres of debris cut off the main highway to the Yambali village, where 150 homes were buried in the early morning hours.
Access issues and poor weather have made it difficult for the military and a nearby gold mine operated by Canadian company Barrick to deliver the heavy machinery required to excavate the site. Rescuers and residents have used sticks, small tools and their own hands to dig through the rubble.
The U.N. estimates that 670 villagers died in the disaster, which immediately displaced 1,650 survivors. Papua New Guinea’s government has said it thinks more than 2,000 people were buried alive.
The IOM said Thursday that only 11 bodies have been recovered.
The sensitivities of grieving villagers and ongoing tribal conflicts in the region are also obstacles to the mechanized removal of a huge quantity of debris, officials say.
Local authorities provided a 14-day window to find survivors and the deceased, after which access will be restricted to prevent the spread of disease from decaying bodies. The U.N. has also said water flowing under the debris had contaminated the village’s water sources.
The U.N. says geotechnical reports in recent days have found the area remains unstable, with heavy rains making conditions worse. A New Zealand survey team has recommended all residents in high-risk areas — around 7,400 people — be evacuated and relocated immediately, the IOM spokesperson said Wednesday.
The agency said all 600 households in the affected area have received food as of Wednesday, with non-food aid kits set to be prepared Thursday and distributed “soon.”
UNICEF and other international aid groups have been on the ground providing food, water, medical supplies and temporary shelters for survivors who lost their homes in the slide.
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape visited the site last week and pledged 20 million kina (US$5.1 million) for emergency response and initial recovery measures.
Australia, a close neighbour, has pledged millions of dollars to the recovery effort. The United States, China and other countries have also said they are ready to help.
International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen has promised Canada is standing by to provide aid and other resources if needed, and told Global News last month he was waiting for a specific request. Since then, however, no public announcement has been made.
A Global Affairs Canada spokesperson confirmed late Wednesday the government has contributed $200,000 to CARE Canada to support their relief operations in response to the landslide. The money was made available through the Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Fund.
The charity and its local partner “will provide emergency assistance to an estimated 500 families, including the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene services, non-food items and promote gender-based violence referral services,” the government said in a statement.
— With files from the Associated Press and Reuters
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