Today's Edition
MELBOURNE (WAM)
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Sunday increased its estimate of the death toll from a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea to more than 670.
This comes as emergency responders and traumatised relatives gave up hope that any survivors will now be found.
Associated Press (AP) quoted the chief of the UN migration agency’s mission in the South Pacific island nation, Serhan Aktoprak, as saying that the revised death toll was based on calculations by Yambali village and Enga provincial officials that more than 150 homes had been buried by Friday’s landslide.
Notably, the previous estimate had been 60 homes.
Aktoprak said, “They are estimating that more than 670 people (are) under the soil at the moment.”
Initially, local officials put the death toll on Friday at 100 or more.
Only five bodies and a leg of a sixth victim had been recovered by Sunday.
Crews have given up hope of finding survivors under the earth and rubble 6 to 8 metres (20 to 26 feet) deep.
