Death Toll From PNG Landslide Could Be as High as 2,000: Government

After initial estimates put the toll at 500, the PNG government now says it fears as many as 2,000 people have been buried, and has asked for help.

People gather at the site of a landslide in Maip Mulitaka in Papua New Guinea's Enga Province on May 24, 2024. STR/AFP via Getty Images

A massive landslide that struck a remote area of Papua New Guinea may have buried as many as 2,000 people—well above an initial estimate of 500 and more than three times the United Nation’s (U.N.) estimate of 640.

The new figure comes from the PNG government, which has formally asked the international community for assistance.