Papua New Guinea has officially halted the search for approximately 2,000 people buried under a massive landslide in Enga province, authorities said on Wednesday.
The disaster management committee declared Tuliparo village, engulfed by the landslide, a “mass cemetery,” local media reported, adding the decision came after acknowledging the near-impossibility of retrieving the bodies.
Earlier, the UN migration agency drew attention to the operational challenges in the area, saying there are fuel shortages and security issues.
Neighboring Australia and New Zealand announced $4 million in humanitarian assistance to the landslide-hit country.
The landslide occurred on May 24, burying homes, infrastructure, and farmland under up to eight meters of soil and debris. The Oceanian government estimates indicate that 2,000 people may have been buried under the soil.