Emergency response team sent to landslide-impacted region in Papua New Guinea

Sydney, May 24 (IANS) An emergency response team has been sent to Papua New Guinea (PNG)'s northern Enga province after a massive landslide hit the region early Friday morning, local media reported.

Enga provincial administrator Sandis Tsaka told Loop PNG that the emergency force was deployed to the landslide incident site at Mulitaka in Porgera-Paiela district to assess damages, Xinhua news agency reported.

The administrator expressed heartfelt sympathies to those affected communities and families of six villages in Mulitaka.

"The Enga provincial government's immediate response is to compile a rapid impact assessment in order to mobilise relief assistance to the affected communities while establishing a dialogue with the management of affected organisations, including New Porgera Limited and the national government to work on opening the access road to Porgera that was substantially damaged and blocked," said Tsaka.

At about 3.00 a.m. local time on Friday, a landslide struck Kaokalam village in Enga province, located over 600 km northwest of PNG's capital Port Moresby.