UN supporting Papua New Guinea's response efforts after 'devastating' landslide: Guterres

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday expressed solidarity to Papua New Guinea after more than 670 people are said to have died in a massive landslide.

"I’m sending my solidarity to the people of Papua New Guinea following the devastating landslide that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people," Guterres said on X. "UN staff are mobilizing and supporting government’s response efforts."

The death toll from the Friday landslide that also flattened a remote village in the island country has shot up to 670, the UN migration agency estimated on Sunday as rescue efforts continued.

More than 150 houses have been buried in Yambali village alone, according to Serhan Aktoprak, an official of the UN migration agency mission in Papua New Guinea.

The affected areas are in the highlands of Enga, north of the country in the south-west Pacific.