Papua New Guinea PM blames extraordinary rainfall for deadly landslide
Papua New Guinea PM blames extraordinary rainfall for deadly landslide James Marape says the estimated death toll is more than 2,000 people, as rescue efforts in Enga province continue Guardian staff and agencies Wed 29 May 2024 06.22 BST Last modified on Wed 29 May 2024 20.33 BST Papua New Guinea’s prime minister James Marape has blamed “extraordinary rainfall” and changes to weather patterns for multiple disasters in the Pacific Island nation this year, including a landslide last week which may have killed thousands. Parts of a mountain in the Maip-Mulitaka area in Enga province in PNG’s north collapsed in the early hours of last Friday and Marape said more than 2,000 people are estimated to have died, with up to 70,000 people living in the area affected by the disaster. “Our people in that village went to sleep for the last time, not knowing they would breathe their last breath as they were sleeping peacefully. Nature threw a disastrous landslip, submerged or covered the village,” Marape told parliament on Wednesday. Estimates of the death toll from Friday’s landslide have differed over recent days, with some local officials estimating the number to be much lower than that given by Marape. Follow link for full story...