Hundreds are feared dead in the landslide in the Pacific nation north of Australia that leveled Kaokalam village in Enga Province, about 600 kilometers northwest of capital Port Moresby, around 3 a.m. Friday local time (1900 GMT Thursday).
According to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, more than six villages have been impacted by the landslide in the province’s Mulitaka region, which local media said buried more than 300 people and more than 1,100 houses.
CARE Australia said late on Saturday that nearly 4,000 people lived in the impact zone, with the total number of those affected probably higher as the area was “a place of refuge for those displaced by conflicts” in nearby areas.
In February, at least 26 men were killed in Enga Province in an ambush amid tribal violence that prompted Prime Minister James Marape to give arrest powers to the country’s military.
CARE said Friday’s landslide has left debris up to 8 meters deep across 200 square km, cutting off road access, which was making relief efforts difficult.
Helicopters were the only way to reach the area, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp, which reported on Saturday that four bodies had been retrieved from the rubble.
“More homes could be at risk if the landslide continues down the mountain,” a CARE spokesperson said in a statement.
Marape has said disaster officials, the Defense Force and the Department of Works and Highways were assisting with relief and recovery efforts.
Social media footage posted by villager Ninga Role showed people clambering over rocks, uprooted trees and mounds of dirt searching for survivors. Women could be heard weeping in the background.