Volunteer pilots fly ‘non-stop’ to reach PNG earthquake survivors

Airlifts to remote areas of Papua New Guinea have been operated non-stop as volunteer rescuers attempt to reach victims who remain stranded two days after a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake.

The quake, which hit on Sunday at about 9:45 am local time (23:45 GMT Saturday), has killed at least seven people and damaged infrastructure and private property, though the exact scale of the disaster is only slowly beginning to emerge, relief workers said.

Tremors were felt some 500km (310 miles) away in the capital of Port Moresby.

Pilot Jurgen Ruh, the owner of Manolos Aviation Limited, said on Tuesday that he had “lost count” of the number of medical evacuations he had carried out since the earthquake hit.

“It hasn’t stopped yet,” Ruh said, as he readied to head out for two further medevac flights in the country’s remote highlands.

With government resources limited, much of the rescue effort has been carried out by small private companies and volunteers.

Of those rescued, “the youngest person was two years old”, Ruh said, adding that the girl, who had a broken skull, had survived after emergency surgery.

The pilot said his company had received calls directly from people in need of evacuation, adding that in Papua New Guinea, “if you don’t help yourself, no one will help you”.

The International Federation of the Red Cross’ Maki Igarashi said that it was “very difficult” to access many locations because of the remoteness of the affected areas.

Papua New Guinea Red Cross Secretary-General Valachie Quagliata said on Monday that the region’s rough mountainous terrain made access difficult, with the worst affected areas not accessible by car.

Agencies