- A catastrophe has occurred in Papua New Guinea and the Highlands
- King Charles sends a message
- He shares a detailed statement on social media
In the early hours of Friday morning, the village of Yambali in Papua New Guinea was hit by a devastating landslide that buried more than 2,000 people. In the midst of this catastrophe, King Charles III (75) speaks out.
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King Charles praises Papua New Guinea's resilience
King Charles' statement, which the palace shared on the Royal Family's official Instagram profile and elsewhere, begins as follows: "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" Charles continues.
He adds that he and Queen Camilla will continue "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."
The background to Charles' statement on Papua New Guinea
These words of sympathy and support reflect the deep bond that the British Royal Family has with the people of Papua New Guinea. The island nation is part of the Commonwealth and Charles is the official head of state.
The landslide, triggered by a massive amount of rock and earth, hit the province of Enga unprepared in its sleep and left a trail of devastation in its wake.
Initial estimates of the number of victims, which were based on more than 670 dead, have been revised to over 2,000 according to the latest figures from the country's National Disaster Management Center. This dramatic correction underlines the scale of the tragedy that has occurred in Papua New Guinea.
