27 May 2009

PNG land slide assessment continues

3:19 pm on 27 May 2009

Papua New Guinea's National Disaster Management Office says it's still unclear how many people have been affected by a landslide in Morobe Province.

The landslide wiped out a village, killing three people and leaving at least sixteen others missing.

The office's acting director Martin Mose says the landslide seems to have affected only one village.

"The place where the landslide occurred, it's quite difficult for any excavation to be made or to bring in machines to do that. Three bodies have been recovered, it's unknown if there are any more bodies that are still being trapped. The population around the area is about 19,000."

Martin Mose says they will decide within the next couple of days what relief they will send to the area.