Ova 2,000 pipo dey buried under Papua New Guinea landslide - Goment agency

Authorities dey fear say di number of pipo wey dey miss afta one deadly landslide for Papua New Guinea fit stretch into thousands, one goment agency tok.

Di acting director of di kontri National Disaster Centre tok for one letter say im fear say more dan 2,000 pipo dey buried alive for Friday disaster.

However, exact casualty figure dey hard to establish and different estimates dey, as rubble wey dey 10m (32ft) deep for some places and lack of adequate equipment dey also hinder rescue efforts.

Fewer dan one dozen bodi don dey recovered so far, while di United Nations (UN) put di figure of pipo wey dey miss at 670.

Di collapse of one mountain side early Friday morning bin wipe out a bustling village for Enga province, wit di damage extending to close to one kilometre, observers report.

About 3,800 pipo bin dey live for di area bifor di disaster.

Di letter by Lusete Laso Mana tok say di damage bin dey "extensive", and say e don "cause major impact on di economic lifeline of di kontri".

Prime Minister James Marape don express im condolences and order di kontri defence force and emergency agencies to di area, about 600km north-west of di capital Port Moresby.

But locals for di affected Kaokalam village say dem still dey wait for officials to step in wit larger rescue operations.

One resident, Evit Kambu, say she believe say many of her family members dey trapped under di rubble and debris.

"I get eighteen of my family members wey dey buried under di debris and soil wey I dey stand on. And more of my family members for di village wey I no fit count," she tell news agency Reuters.

"Tank you to all di pipo wey come to help us. But I no go fit collect di deadi-bodis, so I dey stand hia helplessly."

One community leader wey bin visit di site tell di BBC say locals feel say dem don leave dem to cater for demsefs. Dem bin dey use shovels and dia ordinary hands to try dig pipo out.

"Na almost three to four days now but we neva locate [many] bodis yet. Di landslide still cova am and pipo dey find am really hard to dig dem out - dem dey beg goment for support and help," Ignas Nembo tell di BBC Newshour programme.

However, one police official from the province tell di BBC say im bin see soldiers wen dem arrive di scene and dem bin dey try to remove boulders to try free di pipo wey dey trapped.

Acting Provincial Police Commander Martin Kelei describe di efforts as wetin dem no fit control - sake of say to remove boulders wey big like cars and oda large barriers dey risk more rock slips.

"Digging dey veri hard now becos we dey worried say e fit cause more landslides and deaths - so local pipo dey only dig from wia dem see say dey safe. We dey try to identify anywia we fit see say pipo dey buried," im tok.

Im bin don visit di site many times since e collapse on Friday and im claim say dem still dey hear as survivors dey call for help under di rubble.

Local media report say dem bin pull out one couple alive from under rocks. Dem survive as dia house only enta di edge of wia di landslide happun.

Dem save dem afta rescue workers hear dia shouts for help, di local NBC channel report.

Dem dey evacuate residents wey remain as di region na high-risk sake of forecasts of further rain.

"Di ground no dey stable at di moment and na high risk, e fit trigger further landslide," Justine McMahon, di kontri co-ordinator of Care Australia, one of di humanitarian aid agencies on ground, tok.

"We don decide to stay out for now to allow di authorities time to properly assess di situation to conduct di rescue and recovery operations."

Earlier, one official for di UN migration agency for di kontri bin describe to di BBC how difficulty e dey to rescue di pipo.

Serhan Aktoprak from di International Organization for Migration tok say a number of challenges dey wey di teams wey dey try to recova bodis dey face, include reluctance by some of di grieving relatives to let heavy machinery near dia loved ones.

Instead, im tok say, "pipo dey use digging sticks, spades, large agricultural forks to remove di deadi-bodis wey dey buried under di soil".

Debris from di landslide, include large boulders, trees and displaced soil.

Crews wey dey di scene also say rescue efforts dey hindered by major damage to di only road wey lead to di town. Di landslide don damage a length of about 200m (650ft), Ms McMahon tok.

Di Mount Mungalo landslide occur for di highlands of Enga, for north of di island nation.

Local officials and reporters say na weeks of heavy rainfall and oda wet conditions for di area make di mountain collapse.

Papua New Guinea get population of more dan 11.7 million pipo plus 850 indigenous languages. Di kontri na di most linguistically diverse kontri on Earth, according to di World Bank.