PAPUA NEW GUINEA – More than 100 people are feared dead in a remote village in the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea after a landslide flattened homes and buried people alive while they were sleeping, officials said yesterday.
The disaster hit the village of Kaokalam in Enga Province, about 600 kilometers (372 miles) northwest of the capital, Port Moresby, at about 3 a.m. local time (1 p.m. ET, last Thursday).
The remoteness of the affected village, home to nearly 4,000 people, is hindering rescue efforts, according to the Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the country.
“The debris is as big as approximately three to four football fields, and is blocking the lifeline of the province’s main highway, which is making the relief efforts all the more difficult,” Serhan Aktoprak told CNN.
“It’s already dark. It’s already night time in Papua New Guinea. There’s no power to continue the relief efforts. Only with sunrise will the [IOM] teams be returning,” Aktoprak said.
He added that three bodies had so far been recovered, but the death toll is likely to increase because of the size of the landslide.
The number of people killed or missing is “very fluid,” but more than 100 are believed to be dead, Janet Philemon, Caretaker and National Treasurer of the Papua New Guinea Red Crescent Society (PNGRCS), told CNN.
The local community has been scrambling to reach survivors “with whatever tools they have at their disposal,” Philemon said.
“The community themselves are responding, trying to bring out and uncover those that have been buried under the landslide,” she added.
She said that an earthquake had hit the area a few days prior, which she believed could have contributed to the cause of the landslide.
Footage of the aftermath carried by AFP showed a wide scar of mud and rocks on a steep mountainside slope and locals clambering to look for survivors.
Prime Minister James Marape said in an earlier statement, reported by the ABC and Reuters, that his government had sent officials from the country’s disaster agency, defense force, and Department of Works and Highways to meet Enga’s provincial and district authorities, and carry out the rescue and relief efforts, as well as the reconstruction of infrastructure.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the landslide disaster,” he said.
In comments reported by the ABC, officials said houses were flattened when the side of a nearby mountain gave way.
CNN has reached out to local authorities, including Ipatas, as well as the national police and the country’s disaster management agency.
A Pacific nation home to around 10 million people, Papua New Guinea is rich in resources, but its economy has long trailed those of its neighbors, and it has one of the highest crime rates in the world.
Violence remains widespread. Chaos erupted in the capital earlier this year after police walked off the job in protest over a drop in their pay, which government officials later blamed on a computer glitch in the payroll system. Shops were looted and buildings set on fire during the disturbance.
Hundreds of tribes are spread across the country’s remote and often inaccessible terrain. But its vast and diverse mountainous landscape, as well as a lack of roads, has made it difficult and costly to upgrade basic services like water, electricity and sanitation. (CNN)…[+]

INDIA – An explosion and fire at a chemical factory in western India has killed at least eight people, and left some 60 others injured, according to officials and media reports.
Rescuers combed through piles of debris and wreckage yesterday searching for bodies after the incident a day earlier at the Amudan Chemical company in Maharashtra state’s Thane district.
An explosion in the factory’s boiler led to a fire that affected nearby factories and houses, administrative official Sachin Shejal told The Associated Press news agency.
Two bodies have been identified so far while others are burned beyond recognition, Shejal said.
“We have asked the family members of the victims to submit DNA samples that can help us identify the bodies,” he added.
Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, quoted by India’s NDTV, said some people had been rescued and arrangements were made to treat the injured.
The sound of the blast was heard a kilometre away, NDTV reported.
The explosion was so powerful that it sent huge shockwaves through the area where the factory is located in the city of Dombivli, damaging adjacent factories and shattering glass windows in nearby houses, reportedly leaving a big crater at the spot.
The cause of the explosion, which sent a huge cloud of grey smoke over the area, is being investigated.
Police on Friday filed charges of culpable homicide, including negligence in handling toxic substances, against the owners of the factory, which produced food colouring and used highly reactive chemicals that can cause explosions.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, quoted by NDTV, pledged that the families of victims would receive compensation and that the state government would take care of the medical costs of the dozens of injured.
Fires are common across India due to poor safety standards and lax enforcement of regulations. Activists say builders often cut corners on safety to save costs and have accused civic authorities of negligence and apathy.
With India pushing to be a manufacturing hub, workers’ safety is becoming an increasingly pressing issue that the country needs to get to grips with, experts say. (Al Jazeera)…[+]

ZHENGZHOU – Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for efforts to secure a bumper summer grain harvest and promote the innovative development of agriculture.
Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during a research trip to central China’s Henan Province. During his inspection of high-standard farmlands in the city of Xinxiang, Li called for efforts to enhance cross-regional mechanized harvesting, prevent and control disasters, and prepare for summer sowing.
Minimum grain purchase prices should be utilized well to ensure farmers are able to earn money, he said.
During his tour, he also visited a seed-breeding innovation center, a food enterprise and a scientific research institution.
Efforts should be made to promote the construction of innovative platforms in the seed industry, and to strengthen support for research personnel in the agricultural sector, Li said.
He noted the importance of efforts to leverage the leading role of key enterprises and promote the coordinated development of the entire industrial chain to develop a specialty food industry.
Deepening the reform of science and technology mechanisms is an important measure to achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, Li said. (Xinhua)…[+]

A man, who was recently released from prison, has confessed to killing 25-year-old Joshua Hardatt, a welder of Bloomfield Village, Corentyne, Berbice.
Hardatt’s body was found in a car along the backdam at Letter Kenny, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
The suspect, who was arrested in another region, confessed to killing the victim, claiming that Hardatt had an affair with his wife whilst he was incarcerated. “He confronted the victim, and he denied, and he became more furious and dealt him several blows about his body,” Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told this publication.

The discovery of the car on the lonely dam at Letter Kenny, Corentyne, about 400 meters into the rice cultivation area was made at around 08:00h, as persons were making their way to work.
Hardatt had left home the evening before.
His mother, Lalita Hardatt who could not hold back her emotions said it was unusual for him to stay out all night, explaining that it was at about 19:00h that he left home promising to return in two hours.
His mother said it was only a few days prior that her son told her that he was threatened by a man who was released from prison last Saturday. (INewsGuyana)…[+]

Twenty-eight families of Linden, Region Ten now have the opportunity to commence construction of their homes following the distribution of vouchers through the steel and cement subsidy initiative while injecting $6.3 million into the town’s economy.
The vouchers, worth $225,000 each, were presented by Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), Sherwyn Greaves, during an outreach at Watooka Guest House.
Homebuilders constructing homes costing $6 million or less will be provided with the steel needed and one sling of cement for the construction of the foundation.
Homebuilders spending $6 to $25 million will be given two slings of cement.
The recipients welcomed the initiative which has now empowered them to achieve homeownership. Due to financial constraints, Carol Martin said it was difficult to build her own house since the money was used to finance her five children’s education.
She is beyond thankful for the voucher and can now build her dream house since she used to live in an apartment.
“Right now, I am living in my parents’ house. I am very happy that I have this land. I have my blocks but couldn’t [afford] to do the foundation. I am happy that I get assistance now so I can do something for me,” she expressed.
Recipient, Randolph Braithwaite expressed great appreciation for the support, as it now provides him with the means to build his home.
This will be a vast improvement for Braithwaite since he used to live in a shack for 7 years.
“I feel so happy since this will give me a start,” he added.
Similarly, Clinton Nedd said this initiative has positively impacted his life.
“When this programme started, I decided to get on the board to get some help to get the work off the ground. I accept this small mercy,” he explained.
Through this initiative, some $6.3 million is being injected into the township’s economy.
It brings business to the area because this is direct funds being spent in the community.
“What we try to ensure is that once you get the steel and cement voucher in a region, you have to purchase from suppliers in that same region. We want the funds to be injected in that particular region,” Greaves explained.
Some 97 steel and cement vouchers were issued in Linden last year. (DPI)…[+]

IRAN – Iranian military investigators have so far found no evidence of criminal activity in the helicopter crash that killed late President Ebrahim Raisi and seven others, according to state media.
A preliminary report on the crash by the general staff of the armed forces said the craft had “caught fire after hitting an elevated area”, finding no traces of “bullet holes” on the helicopter wreckage, according to the official IRNA news agency.
The report also stated that Raisi’s helicopter had been flying on a “pre-planned route and did not leave the designated flight path” before the crash last Sunday.
“No suspicious content was observed during the communications between the watch tower and the flight crew,” it added.

The final communication between the president’s craft and two accompanying helicopters was recorded about a minute and a half before the crash, according to a statement from the general staff of the armed forces, broadcast on state television last Thursday night.
The helicopter wreckage had been found in Iran’s mountainous northwest by Iranian drones early last Monday, with the “complexity of the area, fog and low temperature” hindering the work of search and rescue teams.
However, while the first statement on the crash did not lay blame, it said that more details would follow. More time was needed, the army said, to conduct investigations.
The ageing Bell helicopter that crashed was carrying Raisi and his entourage home from a trip to Iran’s border with Azerbaijan last Sunday.
The president had earlier inaugurated a dam project with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Foreign sanctions on Iran dating back to the 1979 revolution, and subsequently imposed over its nuclear programme and its backing of the so-called “axis of resistance”, have made it difficult for the country to obtain aircraft parts or new aircraft.
Raisi was laid to rest in his hometown of Mashhad last Thursday, concluding days of funeral ceremonies in some of Iran’s major cities including the capital attended by throngs of mourners.
Among the people killed in the incident was Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian who was also buried last Thursday in the town of Shahr-e Ray, south of the capital.
A presidential election has been scheduled for June 28. (Al Jazeera)…[+]