Early Wednesday morning November 26, a large landslide hit the Tehonu district, in Afaahiti. Two houses were buried under tons of soil. An event that occurred at 11.00, with the earth falling for the second time, when the rescue team was carrying out their operation. The new fall again hit one of the two houses as well as a dredger that was removing soil from the site. The potential for new injuries is to be regretted.
Key resources are mobilized
This operation is dangerous and can last 24 to 48 hours or more, according to authorities: “Today’s problem is to find out if we have people present under these two houses, the police estimate at 10 am. So, we prepared the means with a helicopter, so that it can arrive more quickly, by Dauphin, especially an endoscope camera that allows us to examine and enter the house to check if there is a human presence. And we managed to bring two dogs from Papeari, two military dogs, which are here and are carrying out reconnaissance. »
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13 houses evacuated
As a safety measure, 13 of twenty homes in the neighborhood were evacuated, we learned from Pays president Moetai Brotherson. These families will soon be re-housed in OPH housing. Currently, nine people are potentially missing. “Citizens are being treated. That’s why we created a psychological care unit. We are aware that for them, this must be a truly apocalyptic awakening, he said. We are wholeheartedly with them. »
About forty firefighters from all over Polynesia, mainly from the Peninsula, were mobilized. In this squad there are reinforcements from Pirae. Around fifteen police officers secured the area and around the area, around thirty people were evacuated. Psychological assistance was established with a public information unit activated at the Papeete police station, which aims to provide information to the public.
Meanwhile, health services have been anticipating the arrival and evacuation of patients since this morning: “We had planned to land helicopters nearby, both at Taravao hospital and next door, at the gymnasium, and also to prepare equipment at Taaone hospital,” explained the cell head. My team and I are preparing for patient arrival if a patient has to come. »
A medical emergency cell (CUMP) was also set up at the Teaputa premises, Taravao town hall branch. Doctors and psychologists were sent to the location. About twenty people were to be accommodated here.
In a press release, the Minister of Overseas Territories, Naima Moutchou, in turn called for vigilance and reminded of the need to follow security instructions. In a post on social networks, he said he was closely following developments in the situation.
Local residents fainted early this morning
One of the local residents who witnessed the incident early in the morning claimed to have heard it “loud noise” before finding it“Part of the mountain collapsed onto three houses”among them “two have disappeared completely. »
One of the houses, which was partially closed, caused great concern from Paul Labbeyi: “The cars were there. And the people, our neighbors, they were there too. They were definitely there too.”he said. The latter explains that he knows of three missing people: “Grandma, her son and a friend”. The identity of the other occupants of the house remains unclear. The neighborhood has about twenty homes. In the neighboring area, other houses were also affected.
Furthermore, two large houses located above the collapse zone are now isolated: “They no longer had access to get down. We evacuated them via chains.” According to Paul Labbeyi, the recent heavy rains could cause disaster: “It continues to fall. So we will definitely be evacuated during the day.”
