The mountainous village of Kaokalam was totally destroyed by a landslide approximately 370 miles (600 km) northwest of Port Moresby, the provincial seat of Enga.
The landslide buried over 2,000 people, according to Papua New Guinea’s national disaster center.
In a letter to the UN, a representative of the national disaster center stated, “The landslide buried more than 2,000 people alive, caused major destruction to buildings and food gardens, and had a major impact on the economic lifeline of the country.”
Serhan Aktoprak, the leader of the International Organization for Migration mission of the United Nations on the island nation, had earlier stated that the 670 death toll was based on circulations.
