More than 2000 buried in Papua New Guinea landslip

Sub: IR

Sec: Places in news

Tag: Papua New Guinea landslip’

Context:

A deadly landslide which villagers in Papua New Guinea say struck like “an exploding bomb” may have buried more than 2,000 people alive.

Details:

Landslip at Kaokalam village, Yambali in Enga Province of Papua New Guinea.
The Mount Mungalo landslide occurred in the highlands of Enga, in the north of the island nation.
Reason for the landslide: Local officials and reporters have attributed the mountain’s collapse to weeks of heavy rain and other wet conditions in the area.
The ground is quite unstable at the moment and it is at risk of triggering further landslide.

About Papua New Guinea:

Location: It is an island country that lies in the south-western Pacific.
It includes the eastern half of New Guinea (the world’s second-largest island) and many small offshore islands.
Neighbours: Indonesia to the west, Australia to the south, and the Solomon Islands to the southeast.
Capital: Port Moresby
Terrain: It is mainly mountainous but has low-lying plains in southern New Guinea.
The islands that constitute Papua New Guinea were settled over a period of 40,000 years by a mixture of peoples who are generally referred to as Melanesians.
Language:
- English is the main language of government and commerce. In most everyday contexts, the most widely spoken language is Tok Pisin.
- Linguistically, it is the world’s most diverse country, with more than 800 languages.
Religion: The majority of Papua New Guinea’s people are at least nominally Christian.
Government:
- Papua New Guinea became self-governing on December 1, 1973, and achieved independence on September 16, 1975.
- The country is a constitutional monarchy and a member of the Commonwealth.
- The British monarch (At present ‘King Charles III’), represented by a governor-general, is the head of state, and the Prime Minister is the head of government.

Source: TH