A landslide in a remote region in northern Papua New Guinea killed up to 100 people, local people estimated as emergency teams rushed to the area.
Six villages in Mulitaka, in Enga province’s Porgera-Paiela district, were covered by the landslide early on Friday morning.
People in the villages surrounding Mulitaka said there could be 80-100 people including children buried. Authorities were yet to give a death toll.
Enga’s provincial administrator, Sandis Tsaka, said emergency response teams had been sent to the area, including disaster, police and health workers as the extent of the damaged was assessed.
“The devastating landslide which is being described as unprecedented natural disaster occurred early hours of this morning … causing substantial damages to property and human lives which are currently unaccounted for,” Tsaka said.
He said the rescue efforts included work to clear access to the road to Porgera “that was substantially damaged and blocked”. Tsaka called for support for the national government and other organisations to help victims of the disaster.
Pictures posted to social media showed residents scaling huge rocks, scattered among tree trunks, and debris left by the landslide.
Elizabeth Laruma who runs a business in the local area, told Australia media that village houses were flattened when the side of a mountain gave way.
“It has occurred when people were still asleep in the early hours, and the entire village has gone down,” Laruma told the ABC.
“From what I can presume, it’s about 100-plus people who are buried beneath the ground.”
The landslide also blocked an important road, she said, raising concerns about the town’s own supply of fuel and goods.
Rebecca Kuku is a reporter with the National, based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.