Papua New Guinea orders thousands to evacuate from path of 'active' landslide

Thousands evacuated from active landslide in Papua New Guinea, with slim odds of finding survivors in unstable area.

Thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate from the path of a still-active landslide in Papua New Guinea by the government on Tuesday, after parts of a mountain collapsed, burying an initial estimate of more than 2,000 people.

Relief teams in the Pacific nation have been trickling into the difficult-to-access northern Enga region since Friday though officials said the odds of finding survivors were slim.

Residents said they have been using shovels and bare hands to search for survivors.

"The landslide area is very unstable. When we're up there, we're regularly hearing big explosions where the mountain is, there is still rocks and debris coming down," Enga province disaster committee chairperson Sandis Tsaka told Reuters.

"The landslide is still active, as people are digging through the rocks, more is still coming down."

A state of emergency has been declared across the disaster zone and a neighbouring area, with a combined population of between 4,500 to 8,000, although not all have been ordered to evacuate yet, Tsaka said.

Military personnel have set up checkpoints and are helping move residents to evacuation centres, he said.