SYDNEY, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Five bodies have been retrieved, with a number of injuries reported, including at least 20 women and children, after a huge landslide hit a remote region in Papua New Guinea, a spokesperson from United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office in the Pacific island country confirmed to Xinhua on Sunday.
The death toll from the massive landslide was estimated to surpass 670, an official from the International Organization for Migration told media earlier on Sunday.
In the latest update on the impacts of the landslide in Yambeli Ward of the Maip Mulitake LLG area in Enga Province, the spokesperson noted that the total population of the affected ward is 3,895 people as per the 2022 common roll.
"The area directly hit by the disaster was occupied by at least 50 to 60 homes, most of these are reportedly destroyed and a few are damaged by the devastating landslide," the spokesperson noted.
In addition, many more are remaining under threat from the still unstable landslide which has caused debris of six to eight meters deep.
The spokesperson said that many of those buried are yet to be located and the number of casualties is expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue.
At around 3:00 a.m. local time on Friday, a massive landslide battered a remote region in Enga Province, located over 600 km northwest of PNG's capital Port Moresby. ■
