Wapenamanda, Papua New Guinea – October 31, 2025 – In the pre-dawn darkness of Friday morning, a massive landslide roared down the slopes of a remote mountain in Papua New Guinea's rugged highlands, burying homes and claiming the lives of at least 21 people in the small village of Kukas. The disaster, which struck around 2 a.m. local time, has left villagers reeling, with rescuers digging frantically through tons of mud and debris in search of survivors and the full extent of the casualties. State-run media and local authorities report that the death toll could rise significantly as recovery efforts continue amid fears that many more remain trapped beneath the earth.
The landslide hit Kukas, a tight-knit community in the Minamb Valley of Wapenamanda District, Enga Province, approximately 550 kilometers northwest of the capital, Port Moresby. According to the National Broadcasting Corporation of Papua New Guinea (NBC), the slide originated from unstable limestone slopes similar to those that have plagued the region in recent years. Eyewitness accounts describe a sudden, thunderous collapse that flattened several houses while families slept inside, turning a peaceful night into a scene of unimaginable horror. "It came like a monster from the mountain," one survivor told local reporters, his voice trembling as he recounted hearing a deep rumble before the ground gave way.
Lasro Mola Panga, chairman of the Minamb Valley Peace and Security Foundation—a local nonprofit focused on community safety and conflict resolution in the volatile highlands—emerged as a key voice in the chaos. Speaking to NBC from the disaster site, Panga confirmed that villagers had immediately launched an emergency rescue operation using shovels, picks, and bare hands. "We have recovered 20 bodies so far, but the search goes on," he said, his words heavy with grief. "We currently don’t know the total number of people killed in this landslide, and the figure may still go up after we do a head count of everyone." Panga emphasized the community's resilience, noting that tribal leaders from the nearby Yabalekin clan had rallied to coordinate efforts, but he pleaded for urgent government assistance, including heavy machinery and medical supplies.
By midday Friday, the confirmed death toll had climbed to 21, according to Acting Provincial Police Commander-in-Chief Inspector Kelly Sombe, who arrived at the scene with a small team from Wabag, Enga Province's capital. Sombe reported that three individuals had sustained serious injuries and were airlifted to Wabag General Hospital for treatment. All victims were members of the Yabalekin Tribe, underscoring the tight familial bonds in the village, where extended clans often share homes. Social media footage shared by local resident Ben Mcpitu on Facebook—showing villagers sifting through thick layers of mud near a creek at the mountain's base—has drawn international attention, though the graphic nature of some images has prompted warnings from authorities.
The affected area is perilously small yet devastatingly precise: the slide primarily engulfed one large communal house near a seasonal creek, but its force scattered boulders the size of cars across nearby gardens and paths. A school principal from an adjacent village described the scene to journalists as "a river of earth that swallowed everything in seconds." Rescue teams, hampered by the region's notoriously poor road networks and intermittent rainfall that threatens further instability, are proceeding with caution. "We're worried about secondary slides," Sombe cautioned, echoing concerns from geologists who note the saturated soil conditions following weeks of monsoon-like downpours.
Enga Province Governor Sir Peter Ipatas, a veteran politician known for his hands-on approach to crises, swiftly mobilized a local disaster response team. In a statement to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Ipatas outlined immediate priorities: body bags, tents, blankets, and food rations for the newly homeless. "This is a small village, but the loss is immeasurable," he said. "Several families are now without shelter, and we must act fast to prevent disease outbreaks in the aftermath." Ipatas's office has requested helicopters from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force to ferry aid, as the single highway into Enga remains vulnerable to blockages from ongoing tribal skirmishes in nearby Tambitanis.
This tragedy unfolds against a haunting backdrop of recurring natural calamities in one of the world's most geologically active nations. Just 17 months ago, in May 2024, a colossal landslide in the nearby Mulitaka area of Enga Province killed at least 670 people, according to conservative United Nations estimates, though the Papua New Guinea government placed the figure above 2,000. That disaster, which buried six villages under up to eight meters of debris from Mount Mungalo, displaced thousands and prompted a national state of emergency. Survivors of the 2024 event, many still rebuilding their lives in temporary camps, expressed solidarity with Kukas residents via community radio broadcasts. "We know this pain too well," said one Mulitaka elder. "The mountains give us life, but they take it without warning."
Experts attribute Papua New Guinea's vulnerability to landslides to a toxic mix of factors: its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where tectonic plates grind together, triggering earthquakes; heavy seasonal rains that saturate steep, deforested slopes; and human activities like small-scale mining and logging that destabilize the terrain. The country's highlands, home to over 40% of its 10 million people, are dotted with remote clans living in harmony with the land—yet isolated by rugged topography that delays aid. Climate change exacerbates the risks, with warmer temperatures intensifying rainfall patterns, as noted in a 2024 World Bank report on Pacific Island disasters.
In the hours following the Kukas slide, international partners began mobilizing. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) dispatched a liaison from its Port Moresby hub, while Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade pledged an initial AUD 500,000 for relief efforts, citing close bilateral ties. "PNG's highlands are a tinderbox for these events," said UN humanitarian adviser Mate Bagossy, who was en route to the site. Local NGOs, including the Papua New Guinea Red Cross and CARE Australia, reported deploying mobile clinics to screen for injuries and waterborne illnesses, drawing lessons from the protracted recovery after Mulitaka.
As night fell on Friday, the hum of generators and cries of mourners filled the air in Kukas. Tribal ceremonies, blending Christian hymns with ancestral chants, honored the dead, while youth volunteers distributed what little water and tarps were available. Panga, the foundation chairman, vowed to lead a community headcount by dawn, urging national leaders to invest in early warning systems—simple seismic monitors or community alert networks—that could prevent future losses. "We've buried too many to our beautiful valley," he reflected. "But we rise together."
The Kukas landslide serves as a stark reminder of Papua New Guinea's fragile equilibrium between its lush, life-sustaining landscapes and their lethal unpredictability. With recovery just beginning, the nation braces for the toll's potential climb, even as it grapples with broader challenges: intertribal violence that diverts security resources, underfunded infrastructure, and the slow creep of global warming. For the people of Enga, resilience is not a choice but a necessity—a thread woven through generations, now tested once more by the unforgiving earth.
