Bad weather has delayed the second relief supplies drop to Papua New Guinea’s landslide victims at Saki village near the former Tolukuma gold mine in Woitape, Goilala, in Central province.

Acting Provincial Administrator Francis Koaba confirmed that yesterday a provincial disaster team and supplies, including digging tools and chainsaws, were provided to assist in retrieving the buried bodies.

Koaba also confirmed that 13 people were still buried in a landslide that swept down on the hut as they were sleeping at dawn on Monday.

Only two bodies have been recovered.

“As of yesterday, information received from the Member for Goilala William Samb on site is that a total of 15 people were buried alive in the landslide. Two were uncovered and 13 unaccounted for,” Koaba said.

“This morning the Disaster Team and supplies, including digging tools and chainsaws, were dispatched to the site by the Central Province Administration.

“The second flight this afternoon has been deferred to tomorrow [Thursday] due to bad weather,” Koaba said.

The Saki hamlet is a three hour walk across rugged and deep gorges from the former Tolukuma gold mine.

Saki has become a small hub where an estimated 3000 small scale alluvial gold miners from surrounding villages camp to pan for gold.

Harlyne Joku is a Papua New Guinean journalist. This article is republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A huge landslide has buried a long hut with 13 people asleep inside at the foot of the Tolukuma gold mine in Papua New Guinea’s Central province.

The community from Saki village, Tolukuma, experienced the massive landslide yesterday morning between 4.30 am and 6 am amid heavy rain.

They were surprised to see that the long house built for visitors from nearby villages who come and reside there while panning for gold had disappeared.

“We have sent a message to the Central Provincial Disaster Office to assist with a chain saw and excavator to dig and cut through the trees, logs and dirt to uncover the house and search for the people buried by the landslide,” Saki village spokesman Cyril Samana told the PNG Bulletin by phone.

“We cannot do it ourselves with our bush knives because the slide has buried many of trees and logs too.

“The disaster occurred at about 4.30 am while the people were asleep. The landslide caught them by surprise coming down from the nearby Tolukuma mountain,” Simana said.

He said the people buried were from nearby villages panning for gold during the Christmas weekend.

‘Huge landslide debris’
“We woke up to see the huge landslide debris and the long house disappear. We have informed the disaster authorities and waiting for them to arrive possible tomorrow [Tuesday],” Simana said.

Simana said that since the Tolukuma mine was in operation in the early 1990s and 2000s, the ground on Tolokuma mountain had become soft.

He said the recent heavy rain in the afternoon till early morning may be the cause of the massive landslide burying the 13.

“Hopefully when the Disaster Office arrives, we will start clearing and digging,” Simana said.

“We have not been able to get through to the MP for Goilala or the Governor for Central. But we managed to reach the provincial disaster office,” Simana said.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz