Provincial authorities say more than 30 people are believed to have been killed and whole villages buried by landslides in Papua New Guinea’s Southern Highlands after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck yesterday.
The Post Courier newspaper reported Hela Provincial Administrator William Bando saying at least 13 people were killed in Southern Highlands capital Mendi and 18 others are believed to have been killed in Kutubu and BASF.
Authorities also said more than 300 people were injured and many and properties were destroyed during the quake, and that the had been in contact with the region by satellite phone as other lines were down.
A police spokesman said there were also reports of whole villages being buried by landslides.
The acting disaster co-ordinator for Heal province, Barclay Tens, said 11 people died in the provincial capital Mend which is about 100 kilometres away from the epicentre of the quake.
Mr Tens told RNA Pacific from Mend that rescuers were trying to reach four people buried in a landslide.
He says power and telecommunications were still out in most of the affected areas and the main roads into the region were cut off by landslips.
“Our communication is not up. We cannot communicate.
“All the power is cut off and I had to come to a mountain where I get a network to make a call. You are lucky to intercept.”
Papua New Guinea police say more than 400,000 people in four different provinces may be impacted by yesterday’s 7.5 magnitude earthquake.
