Hundreds missing after landslide in Papua New Guinea

Desperate villagers dig through rocks and mud to rescue survivors and recover bodies as Papua New Guinea grapples with a landslide that the UN says has buried at least 670 people.

A mountainside collapse early Friday morning wiped out a bustling village in Enga province, with damage stretching nearly a kilometer, observers report.

Fewer than a dozen bodies have been found so far, with efforts hampered by rubble 10 meters deep in some places and a lack of adequate equipment.

Local media reported that a couple had been pulled alive from under the rocks. They had survived because their house was only on the edge of the landslide.

They were rescued after rescuers heard their cries for help, local broadcaster NBC reported.

Prime Minister James Marape expressed his condolences and ordered the country's defense forces and emergency agencies to the area, about 600 km northwest of the capital Port Moresby.

But residents of the affected village of Kaokalam say they are still waiting for authorities to intervene to launch larger relief operations.

A community leader who visited the site told BBC residents they felt they had been left to their own devices. They used shovels and their bare hands to try to dig people out.

“It's been almost three or four days now, but [many] the bodies have not yet been located. It's still covered by the landslide and people are really struggling to dig them out – they're calling on the government for help and support,” Ignas Nembo told the BBC's Newshour programme.

However, a provincial police official told the BBC he saw soldiers arriving at the scene and trying to remove rocks to try to free those trapped.

Acting provincial police commander Martin Kelei called the efforts precarious, as the removal of car-sized boulders and other large barriers risked further damage. landslides.

“Digging is very difficult at the moment because we fear more landslides and more deaths. Local people are only digging where they can see that it is safe. We are trying to identify wherever we can see people buried,” he said. said.

He has visited the site several times since Friday's collapse and said survivors could still be heard calling for help beneath the rubble.

There are fears the death toll will skyrocket when a clearer picture emerges of how many people are trapped under the rocks. Around 3,800 people lived in the area before the disaster.

Remaining residents are being evacuated as the area remains at high risk due to forecasts of further rain.

“The ground is also very unstable at the moment and is at risk of further landslides,” said Justine McMahon, national coordinator for Care Australia, one of the aid agencies on the ground.

“We have decided to stay outside for the time being to give the authorities time to properly assess the situation and carry out rescue and recovery operations.”

Earlier, an official from the UN migration agency in the country also described the difficulties involved in the rescue to the BBC.

Serhan Aktoprak of the International Organization for Migration said teams trying to recover the bodies faced a number of difficulties, including the reluctance of some grieving relatives to let heavy machinery near their relatives.

Instead, he explained, “people use digging sticks, spades and large agricultural forks to remove bodies buried beneath the ground.”

Debris from the landslide, which includes large boulders, trees and displaced earth, is up to 10 m (32 feet) deep in some areas.

More than 150 homes were buried and around 1,250 people were displaced.

Teams on site also say that rescue efforts are hampered by significant damage on the only road leading to the town. The landslide damaged a length of about 200 meters (650 feet), Ms McMahon said.

Initial reports put the death toll at a few hundred, but that figure jumped on Sunday after a UN review, taking into account updated population figures.

Residents noted how the village had attracted residents from other areas in recent years who had been displaced by tribal violence in the area.

The Mount Mungalo landslide occurred in the Enga Highlands in the north of the island nation.

The Kaokalam village that was buried lies midway on the main road connecting the provincial capital to a gold mine further north, known as the Porgera project.

It is managed by a Canadian mining company, Barrick Gold Corporation, which restarted operations at the mine earlier this year, according to shareholder reports.

Local officials and journalists attributed the mountain's collapse to weeks of heavy rains and other wet conditions in the area.

Australia, one of Papua New Guinea's closest neighbors, has long provided security and aid to the impoverished country. Canberra quickly pledged on Saturday to offer all its assistance.

With reporting from Tiffanie Turnbull in Sydney