landslide
A woman and her son are dead and another woman seriously injured after a landslide came down the side of a mountain at Simbai, Middle Ramu district in Madang, at the weekend.

The landslide at noon on Saturday at Kanaints in the Gama local level government area happened as the villagers were getting ready for their usual weekend soccer game.

Acting director for the Madang provincial health office Paul Mabong said the mother and her son, 14, were buried under rocks brought down by the landslide near the village.

Mabong said a woman, aged 26, had her right arm cut off by falling rocks.

"She's the one seriously injured now," he said.

The injured woman, Maria Andong, was flown to Modilon General Hospital yesterday for treatment.
Gama LLG president Elijah Kas, who is from the same village, said the villagers used traditional medicine and treatment to keep Andong comfortable while they waited for the mercy flight to arrive.

Kas said a teacher at Kenaints Primary School called Mabong and reported the situation.

He said villagers mobilised and removed the rocks covering the mother and her son but they were already dead.

They were buried the same day.

Janet Mayo said she and others were at the village waterfall but the sound of the fall prevented them from hearing the landslide.

"We were taken by surprise when the rocks started falling on us," Mayo said.