An official of the United Nations (UN) has said that about 670 people were estimated to be buried under a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea.
The head of the International Organisation for Migration in Papua New Guinea, Serhan Aktoprak, said the impact of Friday’s landslide in the country’s isolated Enga province was greater than initially thought.
“There are estimated 150-plus houses now buried,” Mr Aktoprak said.
According to the official, the affected areas were in the highlands of Enga, in the north of the island nation in the south-west Pacific.
Emergency services were being increased to rescue victims of the massive landslide in the country’s isolated Enga province, where hundreds of people were feared to have died.
Relief efforts have been hampered by difficult terrain and damage to main roads. Parts of the affected area are only accessible via helicopter.
But a group of rescuers succeeded in reaching the region, humanitarian agency Care Australia said.
The landslide buried hundreds of homes in the highlands of Enga, in the north of the island nation in the south-west Pacific, at around 03:00 local time on Friday (17:00 GMT on Thursday).
