Over the weekend, the agency estimated that in addition to the toll of dead and missing, more than 250 houses had been abandoned for fear of further slippage, leading to the displacement of around 1,250 people.
Just reaching survivors proved to be a huge challenge. A humanitarian convoy arrived on site Saturday afternoon to deliver tarpaulins and water, but no food. On Sunday, the local government secured food and water for about 600 people, according to the UN, but heavy equipment had still not arrived, forcing people to search for bodies on dangerous and unstable debris at using small shovels and forks.
Tribal feuds also increased post-disaster security risks.
Ruth Kissam, a community organizer in Enga province, said giant boulders fell from one tribe’s land onto a residential town occupied by another tribe.
“There will be tensions,” she said. “There are already tensions.”
Even before the disaster, the region was plagued by tribal clashes that led residents to flee surrounding villages, with many finding themselves concentrated in the community buried under the landslide. In September last year, much of Enga was under government lockdown and under a curfew, with no flights in or out.
Today, as the search for the dead and the living continues, anger and violence intensify.
On Saturday morning, a feud broke out between two clans, leaving people dead and dozens of houses burned, said Seran Aktoprak, head of mission at the International Organization for Migration office in Papua New Guinea. He added that the threat of violence makes it more difficult to deliver aid.
News Source : www.nytimes.com
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