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 experiencing tribal clashes This caused people 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.
Papua New Guinea officials also stressed the need for calm.
“Following the inspection conducted by the team, it was determined that the damage is significant and requires immediate and collaborative actions by all stakeholders,” said the letter from government officials who visited the site .
The landslide hit the village around 3 a.m. Friday, while many residents were sleeping. Some of the boulders that buried homes and cut off a major highway were larger than shipping containers. Even in a region subject to frequent storms and earthquakes, the landslide sparked intense expressions of grief from within the country and beyond, including at the White House.
“Jill and I are heartbroken by the loss of life and devastation caused by the landslide in Papua New Guinea,” President Biden said in a statement after the disaster. “Our prayers go out to all the families affected by this tragedy and to all the first responders who are putting themselves in harm’s way to help their fellow citizens. »
Christopher Cottrell contributed reporting.