(MENAFN) As volunteer rescuers work nonstop to reach victims who are still missing two days after a strong 7.6-magnitude earthquake, airlifts have been operated to remote parts of Papua New Guinea.
At least seven people have died, and infrastructure and private property have been damaged as a result of the earthquake, which struck on Sunday at around 9:45 a.m. local time (23:45 a.m. GMT on Saturday), according to relief workers. However, the exact scope of the disaster is still only just beginning to become clear.
500 kilometers (310 miles) away in Port Moresby, the capital, tremors were felt.
Owner and pilot of Manolos Aviation Limited Jurgen Ruh admitted to AFP on Tuesday that he had "lost count" of how many medical evacuations he had performed since the earthquake.
As he prepared to leave for two more medevac flights in the country's remote highlands, Ruh said, "It hasn't stopped yet.
Due to the limited government resources, volunteers and small private companies have handled the majority of the rescue operations.
According to Ruh, the two-year-old girl who had a broken skull had survived emergency surgery and was the youngest of those saved.
"If you don't help yourself, no one will help you," the pilot said, adding that his company had received calls directly from people in need of evacuation.
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