Over 2,000 buried in Papua New Guinea landslide

Papua New Guinea informed the UN that more than 2,000 people were buried in a massive landslide that swept over a remote village, according to a copy of the letter obtained by AFP news agency.

"The landslide buried more than 2,000 people alive and caused major destruction," the country's national disaster centre told the UN office in the capital Port Moresby.

A once-bustling remote hillside village in Enga province was almost wiped out when a chunk of Mount Mungalo collapsed in the early hours of Friday morning, burying scores of homes and the people sleeping inside them.

The landslide caused "major destruction to buildings, food gardens and caused major impact on the economic lifeline of the country," the disaster office said.

The main highway to Porgera Mine was "completely blocked," it said in the letter, which was received by UN officials on Monday morning.

"The situation remains unstable as the landslip continue to shift slowly, posing ongoing danger to both the rescue teams and survivors alike."

The scale of the catastrophe required "immediate and collaborative actions from all players," it said, including the army, and national and regional responders.

It called on UN to inform Papua New Guinea's development partners "and other international friends" of the latest situation.

Assistance should be coordinated through the disaster centre, it said.

Social media footage posted by villagers and local media teams showed people scaling rocks, digging with shovels, sticks and their bare hands to find survivors. Women could be heard weeping in the background.

PNG media on Monday reported that residents had rescued a couple trapped under the rubble after hearing their cries for help.

Dangerous conditions

The UN migration agency said that water continued to flow under the debris, making it extremely dangerous for residents and the rescue team to clear it.

Serhan Aktoprak, the chief of the UN migration agency's mission in PNG, told ABC television that emergency crews would continue to look for survivors until the residents asked them to stop.

Aktoprak said that the rescue team had eight vehicles but that he hoped to receive additional resources soon.

About 1,250 people have been displaced by the landslide, which occurred in PNG's Enga province early Friday.

More than 150 houses were buried and about 250 houses were abandoned.

"The houses are buried under around eight metres (26.3 ft) of dirt. So there is quite a lot of debris to get through," aid group CARE International PNG country director Justine McMahon told ABC television on Monday. About 4,000 people were living near the affected area, she said.

Neighbours Australia and France, which rules the Pacific island of nearby New Caledonia, have said they stand ready to assist PNG.