The 75-year-old penned a heartfelt message to the people of Papua New Guinea and the Highlands following the landslide in Enga on Friday, May 24, 2024.
“My wife and I were deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the devastating landslide in Enga, and the tragic loss of so many lives, homes and food gardens.
“I have witnessed at first-hand and have great admiration for, the extraordinary resilience of the peoples of Papua New Guinea and the Highlands. I have faith that your communities will come together to support the survivors and the recovery in these heartbreaking circumstances.
“My wife joins me in sending our most heartfelt condolences to the families and communities who have suffered so much as a result of this appallingly traumatic event. Papua New Guinea is very much in our special thoughts and prayers.”
As many as 2,000 people are feared buried under a landslide in Papua New Guinea, with survivors digging through the rubble with their hands and spades.
Locals were left devastated after tonnes of rock and mud engulfed their homes while they slept, and rescuers have struggled to reach the remote area in one of Asia’s poorest nations. The difficult terrain and lack of roads in Papua New Guinea, home to around 10 million people, have compounded the rescue efforts.
Papua New Guinea is one of five countries in Asia and the Pacific where His Majesty is the head of state, alongside Australia, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.
At a ceremony also honouring the late Queen, Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape said: “In reflection of the life she lived, the exemplary performance of duties as the head of the state of Papua New Guinea, it is in this connection that we all gather here this morning to acknowledge her passing and to acknowledge and witness the ascension of the throne of King Charles III.”
