Landslide kills 20 in Papua New Guinea village, many more missing

A catastrophic landslide has killed at least 20 people in Papua New Guinea's Enga province, with many others feared trapped beneath the debris. The disaster struck the small village of Kukas in the Minamb Valley overnight, according to reports from the National Broadcasting Corporation of Papua New Guinea. Local communities have mobilized for rescue efforts as the full scale of the tragedy remains uncertain.

Local Rescue Efforts Underway

Lasro Mola Panga, chairman of the Minamb Valley Peace and Security Foundation, confirmed that local villagers have launched an emergency rescue operation in response to the landslide. "We currently don't know the total number of people killed in this landslide, and the figure may still go up after we do a head count of everyone," Panga stated. So far, rescuers have recovered 20 bodies from the site while continuing to search for survivors in difficult conditions.

History of Landslides in the Region

This latest disaster occurs just months after a major landslide in the Mulitaka area of Enga province in May 2024 that claimed at least 670 lives. The repeated incidents highlight the vulnerability of communities in Papua New Guinea's mountainous regions to such natural disasters. The country's challenging terrain and limited infrastructure often complicate rescue and recovery operations.

Ongoing Search and Recovery

The remote location of Kukas village in Wapenmanda District presents significant challenges for emergency response teams. With the official death toll at 20 and expected to potentially rise, the focus remains on search and recovery efforts. The community's immediate response demonstrates local resilience in the face of repeated natural disasters affecting the region.