Massive landslide in Papua New Guinea buries over 2,000 people alive

More than 2,000 people have been buried alive after a massive landslide hit Papua New Guinea on Friday morning, CNN reported.

The landslide turned the mountainous Kaokalam village in Enga Province into a flatland.

Initially, the government had put the number of dead at 100 or more, but now the Papua New Guinea national disaster has announced that the landslide has buried more than 2,000 people.

In a letter to the United Nations, a government official wrote, "The landslide buried more than 2,000 people alive and caused major destruction to buildings, food gardens, and major impact on the economic lifeline of the country."

According to the humanitarian group CARE Australia, "the area was a place of refuge for those displaced by nearby conflicts."

More than 4,000 people living in six villages are estimated to have been impacted by the disaster.

As per the AFP, tribal battles have delayed the deployment of heavy machinery and diggers.

Locals say it is a race against time, as three days have already passed and hundreds of people are still stuck inside.

Papua New Guinea has a population of over 10 million people. It is located on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean.