A Papua New Guinea official says the landslide death toll was three times higher than the UN estimate, and the government has formally requested international aid while a UN agency reviews the calculation.
A Papua New Guinea government official has told the United Nations more than 2,000 people were believed to have been buried alive by Friday’s landslide and has formally asked for international help.
The government figure is roughly triple the UN estimate of 670 killed in the South Pacific island nation’s mountainous interior. The remains of only six people have been recovered so far.
Estimates of the casualties have varied widely since the disaster, and it remains unclear how officials determined the number of people affected.
The International Organisation for Migration, which is working closely with the government and taking a leading role in the international response, has not changed its estimated death toll of 670 released on Sunday, pending new evidence.
“We are not able to dispute what the government suggests but we are not able to comment on it,” said Serhan Aktoprak, the chief of the UN migrant agency’s mission in Papua New Guinea.
“As time goes in such a massive undertaking, the number will remain fluid,” Aktoprak added.
The death toll of 670 was calculated by Yambali village and Enga provincial officials, based on the burial of over 150 homes by the landslide. The previous estimate had been 60 homes.
The office of Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape did not respond to requests for an explanation regarding the basis of the government’s estimate of 2,000. Marape has promised to release information about the scale of the destruction and loss of life when it becomes available.
Determining the scale of the disaster is difficult because of challenging conditions on the ground including the village’s remote location, a lack of telecommunications and tribal warfare throughout the province.
At least 26 tribal warriors and mercenaries were killed in a battle between two warring tribes in Enga in February, as well as an unconfirmed number of bystanders.
The national government’s lack of reliable census data also adds to the challenges of knowing how many are potentially dead.
The government estimates Papua New Guinea’s population to be around 10 million people. However, a UN study in 2022, using data such as satellite photographs of rooftops, estimated the population could be as high as 17 million. An accurate census has not been held in the country in decades.
The landslide buried a 200-metre stretch of the province’s main highway under 6 to 8 metres of debris, creating a major obstacle for relief workers.
