14-year-old missing from landslide in remote Western Highlands

A 14-year-old girl is still buried under stones and thick soil after a massive landslide hitting the remote Ukini Two area of Mul-Baiyer District in Western Highlands Province.

The deceased and four other children ages ranging from seven and 12 years of ages went to the garden approximately two kilometers away from their home close to the mountain when the landslide occurred, taking with it the deceased whilst the four other children managed to flee and survived the massive landslip

The natural disaster occurred on Friday 13th December around 11:30am, and the community of Ukini Kepka Tribe are still digging through the thick soil in search of the girl’s body when this newsroom visited the site on Sunday.

Representatives from the office of Western Highlands Governor and the Provincial Disaster Office were at the landslip on Sunday to assess the extent of the landslip and also find ways to assist the affected families and the community.

A relative of the missing girl said the landslip took them all by surprise as there was no early warning signs like rain or earthquake.

Because of its remoteness an excavator given by Mul-Baiyer MP Jacob Maki to help with the rescue exercise was unable to access the disaster site because of no road access.

The community now have no access to clean water for drinking and cooking because the only source of water is contaminated from the soil and debris.