Death toll from Papua New Guinea landslide rises to 670

ANKARA

The death toll from a massive landslide that flattened a remote village in Papua New Guinea has shot up to 670, the UN migration agency said on Sunday.

More than 150 houses have been buried in Yambali village alone, Australian Broadcasting Corporation news reported citing Serhan Aktoprak, an official of the UN migration agency mission in Papua New Guinea.

Rescuers searched through earth and rubble for the third day on Sunday for possible survivors of a massive landslide that struck the Pacific country's remote highlands, local and international media reported.

Emergency responders moved victims to safer locations as hopes of finding more survivors under the rubble are fading with every passing moment.

The enormous landslide devastated six villages and buried nearly 1,200 houses in Enga Province, about 600 kilometers (373 miles) northwest of the country's capital Port Moresby on Friday.

The landslide has also blocked a road leading to Porgera, a town with a large gold mine.

According to aid group CARE Australia, the landslide likely affected over 4,000 people.

It said Friday's landslide left debris up to 8 meters (26 feet) deep across 200 square kilometers (77 square miles), cutting off road access and making relief efforts difficult.

Helicopters are the only way into the area.