Rescue efforts hampered as 670 missing in Papua New Guinea landslide

The ground shook on Friday, May 24, at around 5 AM Eastern Time in the Enga province of Papua New Guinea. The natural force was so strong that the resulting landslide reportedly destroyed an area of up to 200 square kilometres.

Officially, all 670 people consumed by the massive landslide are considered missing. However, according to The Associated Press, rescue workers and terrified relatives have lost hope that anyone will survive. Social media has been sharing video footage from the scene.

Drone video reveals extent of the damage caused by a landslide in Papua New Guinea, which killed more than 670 people according to the UN. Rescue workers are trying to retrieve bodies from under the mud, according to Al-Jazeera.

The head of the UN migration agency mission in Papua New Guinea, Serhan Aktoprak, said the death toll is based on calculations by officials from the Enga province. According to their information, more than 150 homes have been buried.

Additionally, CARE Australia rescue workers estimate that the number of people affected by the disaster is likely much higher than 4,000. This is because the area was "a refuge for people displaced by conflicts," reported Reuters on Sunday.

According to local reports, almost all access roads are destroyed, making rescue operations challenging. The only means of transportation to and from the disaster site is helicopters.

Ongoing tribal conflicts in the disaster area compound the extreme difficulty of the rescue operation. As a result of these conflicts, at least 26 people were killed in the Enga province in February alone. The authorities are considering asking the international community for help dealing with the disaster's aftermath.