More than 2,000 Buried Alive in Papua New Guinea Landslide

More than 2,000 people were buried alive by a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea last week, said the national disaster centre of the island nation on Monday.

The death toll of people buried at Yambali village in Enga province in the country’s north is based on estimates from local authorities. A UN agency, however, on Sunday put the estimated death toll at more than 670.

The National Disaster Centre raised the toll again to 2,000 in a letter to the UN.

The letter stated that the situation remains unstable as the landslip continues to shift slowly, posing danger to both the rescue teams and survivors alike.

According to CARE International, about 4,000 people were living near the affected area.

Some of the houses are buried under around eight metres of dirt. Water continued to flow under the debris, the UN migration agency said, making it extremely dangerous for residents and the rescue team to clear debris.