In this photo released by UNDP Papua New Guinea, villagers search through a landslide in Yambali village, in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea on May 24. Photo / Juho Valta via AP
In this photo released by UNDP Papua New Guinea, villagers search through a landslide in Yambali village, in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea on May 24. Photo / Juho Valta via AP
New Zealand emergency services sent to help in the aftermath of a deadly landslide in Papua New Guinea have described villagers’ desperate attempts to find loved ones lost under the rubble, two weeks on.
Fire and Emergency NZ staff were in the island nation last week as part of a crew led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to help provide geotechnical assessments at the landslide site.
“While we were there, we saw people still digging in the rubble trying to find their loved ones,” FENZ team lead Aaron Waterreus said.
Amidst the grief, there is work to be done
“All of that weighs quite heavily on you, coming in as an outsider, into a period of deep grief. It’s something I’m sure we won’t be forgetting for a long time.”
In this photo provided by the International Organization for Migration, people cross over the landslide area to get to the other side in Yambali village, Papua New Guinea, following the landslide. Photo / AP
Initially, it was estimated up to 2000 people had been killed. The death toll is now at least 670, according to PNG authorities.
Despite evacuation orders, some locals continue to risk their lives in the desperate search for lost loved ones.
Waterreus said the team, including geotechnical engineers, carried out both an aerial and ground assessment of the landslide and the surrounding areas.
He acknowledged the significance of the incident to the local people and what it was like to be among the grief.
Aid and staff assistance from New Zealand arrive in Papua New Guinea. Photo / NZ Defence Force
“We’ve heard about the size and scale of the event, but the human side of that is something quite different.
“To go to that site, we were really mindful when we went to the site that these people are mourning their loss and mourning their loved ones.
“We were mindful that we didn’t want to intrude on that private moment,” he said.
Landslide part of a larger ‘reactivated’ landslide
New Zealand announced $1.5 million worth of support a day after the landslide. The Royal NZ Air Force C-130 Hercules carried out three flights from Port Vila to the Wapenamanda district carrying 48,000lbs of aid and Kiwi emergency services staff.
It also helped to deliver aid provided by the British and Australian governments.
Part of their work was to make geotechnical assessments of the landslide site and surrounding area - at the request of the PNG Government.
The landslide in Yambali village, in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, has resulted in the mass burial of hundreds of people. Photo / UNDP PNG via AP
The work involved hazard and risk mapping. Waterreus said they had also been working closely with GNS scientists back home to help with their assessments.
“What the team have been looking at is the stability of the earth - not just in the landslide itself, but below the landslide and in adjacent to the left and right flanks of the landslide.
“We believe that there is real potential for further landslides to occur in the either near or in the medium-term future.”
Geotechnical engineer Jan Kupec said they think the incident is connected to a much larger reactivated landslide and acknowledged the high risk that it was not over.
“It will continue to evolve,” he said.
The Kiwis have since provided reports of their findings to the local Enga Province officials and the PNG Government; identifying and mapping areas at further risk of slippage or movement of debris from the existing slip and potential other slips - to help with their decision-making efforts.
Wattereus said it was important to note that this was not an isolated event; but part of a bigger picture that is going to require ongoing observation from local officials, with the help of international authorities.
Vaimoana Mase is the Pasifika editor for the Herald’s Talanoa section, sharing stories from the Pacific community. She won junior reporter of the year at the then Qantas Media Awards in 2010 and won the best opinion writing award at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards.
