Papua New Guinea landslide kills up to 13

PORT MORESBY - As many as 13 people are dead or missing after a landslide swept through a remote village and swept houses into a swollen creek in Papua New Guinea.

Eight bodies have been recovered and five people are missing feared dead.

The slide of boulders and mud at Bapa about 270km northwest of the capital Port Moresby hit early on Saturday following days of torrential rain, provincial government officials said.

Among those reported killed at the village in the Buang area of Morobe Province were a mother and her baby and two young children.

The landslide washed more than a dozen houses into a flooded creek and smashed other dwellings to pieces.

Searchers over the weekend retrieved bodies from the debris and others were found about 40km away along the Snake River.

The heavy rains cut roads to the area making access difficult for emergency workers.

Provincial disaster officials with digging tools, medical supplies and tarpaulins flew to the area by helicopter to assist villagers.

Three police officers from the town of Bulolo walked into Bapa on Sunday to assess the situation and help villagers search for bodies. One of the officers said yesterday that survivors who lost their homes were being looked after at a nearby village or were sheltering in makeshift tents.

- AAP