MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Emergency responders in Papua New Guinea were moving survivors of a massive landslide - feared to have buried scores of people - to safer ground on Sunday as tons of unstable earth and tribal warfare, which is rife in the country’s Highlands, threatened the rescue effort.
Emergency crews in Papua New Guinea move survivors of massive landslide to safer ground
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Emergency responders in Papua New Guinea were moving survivors of a massive landslide - feared to have buried scores of people - to safer ground on Sunday as tons of unstable earth and tribal warfare, which is rife in the country’s Highlands, threatened the rescue effort.
The South Pacific island's government meanwhile is considering whether it needs to officially request more international support.
Crews have given up hope of finding survivors under earth and rubble 6 to 8 meters (20 to 26 feet) deep after a landslide wiped out part of Yambali village in Enga province a few hours before dawn on Friday, said Serhan Aktoprak, the chief of the International Organization for Migration's mission in Papua New Guinea.
Local authorities initially estimated the death toll could be around 100, but others fear many more have died.