Villagers work to recover bodies after a landslide in Papua New Guinea's Enga province. (Facebook: Ben Mcpitu)
In short:
Police say an overnight landslide has killed 21 people in a Papua New Guinean village.
The landslide struck the small village of Kukas in the mountainous region of Enga province at about 2am, local time.
What's next?
A local government disaster team has been sent to assist with the recovery and provide emergency supplies.
Police say 21 people have been killed in a landslide in Papua New Guinea's highlands overnight, with bodies still being recovered.
They say the landslide struck the small village of Kukas in Enga Province at 2am, local time, on Friday, flattening houses with people sleeping inside.
A local government disaster team was sent to the site Friday morning to assist with the recovery of bodies and provide emergency supplies.
Simon Tumu, the deputy principal at St Paul's Secondary Southern School in Pausa, said he visited Kukas village after he heard about the landslide.
He said the landslide only buried one large house near a creek at the foot of the mountain.
He said he had counted 22 victims in the morning.
"A group of people were still digging through the debris, trying to discover more of corpses that were there."
Mr Tumu said the dead were mostly visitors from a neighbouring village about 5 kilometres away that was undergoing local government elections.
"It came in force, and then it just covered the old house that they stayed [in] last night," he said.
After fighting broke out there, election officials moved the polling locations, he said.
But Mr Tumu said the group did not feel safe returning through areas affected by fighting, so they stayed the night in Kukas village.
"They decided to go to a relative's house, and that is where they encountered this fate, this tragedy," he said.
"If the casting of the [local government] votes took place in their own village, this incident would not have occurred."
Body bags and blankets needed
Footage shared on social media shows people grieving for loved ones lost in the tragedy.
Another video shows people using sticks to dig through thick mud that appears to have crushed a structure.
Enga Province Governor Sir Peter Ipatas said immediate needs included body bags, tents and blankets.
He said it was likely that several survivors were now homeless.
The incident happened in the same province where a huge landslide claimed over 160 lives in the village of Mulitaka in May last year.
Sir Peter said the mountainous area was vulnerable to landslides, especially during periods of heavy rain.
He said locals had reported up to 30 people may have died, with 18 bodies already recovered, however local police put the current death toll at 21.
"It's a very, very sad case,"
Sir Peter said.
With more rainfall, Mr Tumu said people were staying vigilant.
"The people from around there are always careful, so I'm sure they are probably taking precautions right now," he said.
The district has also been grappling with ongoing tribal conflicts since August this year, with reports of several deaths in the past three months.