Papua New Guinea landslide: 100 dead as disaster strikes remote village

A devastating landslide has ravaged a secluded village in Papua New Guinea, leaving a staggering death toll that locals say exceeds 100.

Around 3am on Friday, a landslide struck Kaokalam Village in Enga Province, about 600 kilometres northwest of the South Pacific island nation’s capital of Port Moresby, at roughly 3am local time, ABC reported.

The tragic event has led to ongoing recovery efforts, with villagers searching for victims amidst the debris.

Locals fear the actual number of casualties may rise significantly.

It is not yet known if emergency services have reached the remote village.

Social media video show locals pulling out buried bodies.

The Papua New Guinea government and police did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.

The president of the Porgera Women in Business Association told the ABC that houses were destroyed after a mountainside nearby collapsed.

“It has occurred when people were still asleep in the early hours and the entire village has gone down,” Elizabeth Laruma told the broadcaster.

“From what I can presume, it’s about 100-plus people who are buried beneath the ground.”

Papua New Guinea is a diverse, developing nation of mostly subsistence farmers with 800 languages. There are few roads outside the larger cities .

With 10 million people, it also the most populous South Pacific nation after Australia, which is home to 27 million.