Landslide destroys family’s home

The National National
Families near the wreckage of a house destroyed by moving earth and old vehicle parts early on Saturday morning near Mt Hagen in Western Highlands. – Nationalpic by PETER WARI

A LANDSLIDE near Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, on Saturday, resulted in a family losing their house.
Esau Nicholas said his brother Alex Kake was partially covered by the moving earth at around 3am before being rescued and taken to the Mt Hagen Provincial Hospital.
Nicholas told The National that he and his mother, sister and father escaped while Alex, 19, suffered broken legs after he was covered by mud and debris, including vehicle parts that had been piled on a hillside.
He said he heard the sound of the vehicle parts rolling down hill and woke up and alerted his family to get out, but Alex was trapped.
“After he was rescued, we found out that his legs were broken, we quickly made a stretcher and took him to the Mt Hagen Provincial Hospital,” he said.
Nicholas claimed that an area on the side of the hill was a used to keep old vehicles and other parts by a Mt Hagen-based business.
He said the company did not build fences or walls to protect against rolling or loose machinery.
“We were saved by God as this is usually a time when everyone is fast asleep, but somehow we woke up in time to escape disaster,” Nicholas said.