A landslide buried a town in a rural section of Papua New Guinea on Friday, killing over 100 people, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The landslide struck Kaokalam village in Enga province, around 600 kilometers (370 miles) northwest of the South Pacific island nation’s capital of Port Moresby, at around 3 a.m. local time (15:00 GMT), according to ABC.
Residents claim current estimates of the death toll exceed 100, while authorities have not confirmed this figure. Villagers say the number of persons murdered could be far higher.
Papua New Guinea’s administration and police did not immediately reply to calls for comment.
The landslide closed the road between Porgera and the village, creating concerns about the town’s own supply of fuel and groceries.
Papua New Guinea is a diversified, developing nation comprising largely subsistence farmers who speak 800 languages. There are few roads outside of the bigger cities.
With 10 million people, it is the most populated South Pacific nation behind Australia, which has 27 million.
Telecommunications are weak, especially outside of Port Moresby, where 56% of the country’s social media users live.
Only 1.66 million individuals in the country utilize the internet, and 85% reside in rural areas.
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