USD 1 million Indian aid reaches landslide-hit Papua New Guinea; Minister thanks PM Modi

India’s humanitarian assistance worth $1 million for victims of the devastating landslide in Papua New Guinea’s Enga province arrived in the country on Friday.

The relief aid was received at Port Moresby airport by PNG Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko, Defence Minister Billy Joseph, and other officials from the Indian High Commissioner Inbasekar S.

Expressing gratitude, Tkatchenko thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and the people of India for the timely assistance. “We will ensure India’s $1 million relief assistance for the landslide-devastated Maip Mulitaka area, Enga Province gets to our people,” he said.

India announced the immediate relief assistance on May 28, expressing solidarity with Papua New Guinea in the wake of the massive landslide that buried hundreds and caused significant loss of life in the Enga region.

Prime Minister Modi had conveyed deep condolences and India’s readiness to extend all possible support to the Pacific island nation during its time of difficulty.

The aid, part of India’s Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Assistance (HADR), will be dispatched shortly to Wabag, the capital of Enga province, to support relief and rehabilitation efforts in the affected areas.

India has consistently stood by Papua New Guinea during natural disasters, including providing assistance after the 2018 earthquake and volcanic eruptions in 2019 and 2023.

The landslide hit the Enga region in northern Papua New Guinea, claiming the lives of over 670 people, according to estimates from the Chief of Mission for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in the island nation.

As many as 2,000 people were feared to have been buried in a landslide, according to Papua New Guinea’s National Disaster Centre. Over 150 houses in Yambali village were buried in debris, according to the officials.