An eyewitness account of today's landslide disaster in Southern Highlands

Family near miss...the family is trapped

On top of where 10 houses used to be

Road from Tari to Hides

Road from Tari to Hides

Villages buried under the earth

 

 

 

At 0600hrs this morning, it was very calm, still and quite. Family’s were still sleeping, while the mothers woke up and prepared breakfast for  their family, others were preparing to take their stalls and stuff to the road market when all over sudden, without warning ........the land slide and covered the entire village.

Tumbi area has three villages and is located along the road leading to Hides 4 and Komo. The three villages are along the road and are scattered in hamlets. Some live a bit further up in to the side of the mountain.

When the land slipped, it covered the three-villages, the people going to the market, a 2- seater with passengers inside and a Land Cruiser from Komo, nine employees from various companies waiting for pick-up and other unaccounted people.

From an estimated figure including the three villages it is believed that 100-plus people have been buried under the earth and that includes, mothers, children, fathers, their relatives, vendors, employees and the passengers in the two-vehicles plus the unaccounted.

It is reported that a HGDC vehicle is also buried under the earth hence yet to be ascertained. Two rivers on both side of the village are buried and dam is building up slowly at the top. If the river banks give way, it will cause more damage to the villages living further down the river.

We are not yet sure whether some of our local guards are buried under the earth. We will do stock take and see. It is a very sad and a tragic day for all of us. One or the other it will also affect us.

We just pray that the good lord will give strength and peace to the relatives of the missing one’s.