As the exact number of deaths is still unknown, officials in Papua New Guinea voiced their concerns, saying they don't expect to find survivors under the rubble of the landslide in the Enga region last week.

Due to the treacherous mountain terrain, heavy equipment and aid have been slow to arrive amid tribal unrest in the area. 

Enga Province Disaster Committee Chairperson, Sandis Tsaka, told Reuters. “No bodies are expected to be alive under the debris at this point, so it’s a full recovery operation to recover any human remains,” adding that rescue teams are planning to use heavy machinery from today Thursday, after constant delay. 

The last verified census was done in 2000 and because of that, officials are depending on incomplete voter records and local leaders to estimate the total deaths.

More than 2,000 dead in landslide

In a letter to the UN on May 25 and released publicly today, the National Disaster Center revised the toll to more than 2,000, adding that the landslide had caused major destruction to buildings and food gardens. 

"The situation remains unstable as the landslip continues to shift slowly, posing an ongoing danger to both the rescue teams and survivors alike," the letter said. 

Tsaka said the government expects the total deaths to be a “significant number”.

“It could be anywhere from hundreds to 2,000. I wouldn’t totally rule 2,000 out because of the uncertainty about how many people were [there] at the time, but I can’t give you a definitive answer till we complete the social mapping,” he said.