Mother and son rescued

By PETER WARI
A MOTHER and her three-year-old son were nearly buried alive in a landslide at Megi village in Imbonggu, Southern Highlands, after a heavy downpour on Sunday afternoon.
Jessica Wilbert and son Tony had to yell for help after being trapped inside their home before being rescued by relatives.
Wilbert’s left foot was trapped inside a furnace and she suffered burns to her lower leg.
Mother and child were taken to the Mendi Hospital the following morning for treatment.
Relative Nelson Kuru Malnaki, from Tepe village near the impacted area, told The National that the landslide sealed off the national highway blocking access from both ends.
He said the heavy rain started at 3pm and ended at 5pm and several sections of the road were destroyed and if the rain continued into the week, more landslides were likely to occur.
“The provincial and district disaster team should visit the affected sites and assess the situation, it is a disaster that has destroyed houses and food gardens, luckily no lives were lost,” he said.
Traveller Faithon Joe, told The National that the landslide affected the flow of traffic to PNG LNG sites in Kutubu, Southern Highlands, and Hides in Hela.
He said people trying to get their vegetables to markets had to carry their bags and walk over the landslide affected area.
Joe said the travelling public from Imbonggu and Hela would face hardship in the coming days if nothing was done to clear the debris.
He said locals had cut trees and gathered stones to create a walkway for the public over the mud but claimed that they were charging a fee for people to cross.
Joe said the Department of Works needed to clear the mud and debris and for the government for relief supplies after damages to their gardens and homes.
Meanwhile, the blockade of the alternate route to Kagua-Erave caused by landslide last month is yet to be cleared.
The provincial government and Works Department had been notified of the disaster which affected more than 32,000 people living in the Aiya local level government.
The provincial government has been notified and is aware of the situation. Attempts to get comments from provincial and district disaster offices were unsuccessful.