Overview
- Police report 21 deaths with searches continuing for additional victims after the pre‑dawn slide in Papua New Guinea’s highlands.
- The landslide struck around 2–3 a.m. local time and flattened homes, and a provincial disaster team is on site assisting recovery and relief.
- Governor Sir Peter Ipatas says urgent needs include body bags, tents and blankets, and he warns several survivors are now homeless.
- Casualty figures remain fluid, with local accounts suggesting up to 30 dead and earlier reports of 18 bodies recovered, and three people were hospitalized with serious injuries.
- Local sources say many victims were visitors sheltering overnight due to election‑related unrest, with ongoing tribal conflict in the district complicating conditions.