More than 100 feared dead in massive Papua New Guinea landslide

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More than 100 people are feared dead after a huge landslide struck a remote mountainous area of Papua New Guinea on Friday.

The landslide struck while people were sleeping, at around 3am local time, tearing through the village of Kaokalam in Enga province, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Residents say current estimates of the death toll are above 100, although this figure has not been confirmed by authorities.

Villagers say the number killed could be much higher, with video on social media showing locals pulling out buried bodies.

Elizabeth Laruma, who runs a women’s business association in Porgera, a town in the same province near the Porgera gold mine, said 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,” Ms Laruma told ABC news.

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

She said the landslide blocked the road between Porgera and the village, raising concerns about the town’s own supply of fuel and goods.

Village resident Ninga Role, who was away when the landslide struck, expects at least four of his relatives to have died.

“There are some huge stones and plants, trees. The buildings collapsed,” Ms Role said.

“These things are making it hard to find the bodies fast.”

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

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 is the most populous South Pacific nation after Australia, home to 27 million.