Tragedy, after family of four swept by landslip into nearby river in the early hours of Saturday morning

A family of four is dead in Tambul-Nebilyer distrcit in Western Highlands Province after their entire home was carried away into the river by a landslip.

The landslip was caused by continuous rain in the province.

The husband and wife in their 50's and their two daughters aged 16 and 5 were fast asleep in the early hours of Saturday morning when their home was forced into the nearby river by heavy flow of soil.

NBC News was at the disaster site on Saturday and witnessed villagers of Mundike Ward 4 retrieve the four bodies which were trapped by massive soil along the Pindu river.

Samuel Bafike, a relative of the family told this newsroom that it is the first of its kind in their area for such a natural disaster to occur and claim lives.

Mr Bafike also says the death of the four is catastrophic and there's only much they can do as continuous rainfall is being felt in most parts of the country where lives have been lost, food and water sources destroyed, including homes and other properties.

Tony Kanol from the office of the Provincial Member for Western Highlands Wai Rapa who was also at the site, conveyed Mr Rapa's condolences to the family of the deceased and said this is very unfortunate.

Mr Rapa has released a bulldozer used currently to upgrade the Lower Kagul roads to be used if the need arises to retrieve any bodies or properties.

Councilor Dot Kigulu of Ward 4 Mundike has appealed for relief assistance to those affected in this landslip as all their food gardens have also been washed away.

The bodies of the four are at the Mt Hagen Hospital morgue.

Landslip blocks access to Secondary school

Another landslip in the same areas has further cut off the only road access to the Tambul-Nebilyer Secondary School.

A teacher at Tambul Secondary who was at the site where the land slipped happened told this newsroom that the road covered now is the only access to the school and it will affect the school's operation if nothing is done to remove the thick, muddy soil.

He appealed to the local MP Win Bakri Daki and the District Development Authority [DDA] as well as the Provincial disaster office to attend to this disaster

The teacher said, the school is on its first term break and this would be sufficient time to clear the road.