Hundreds of people are feared dead, and several others are missing after a major landslide flattened several homes in a remote village in northern Papua New Guinea (PNG).
According to official reports, a landslide occurred at 3 a.m. at Kaokalam village, burying more than 50 homes.
He estimated the death toll was around 300, including his brother and cousin.
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The Australian Broadcasting Corporation and other local media outlets stated that over 100 people had been slain.
According to Role, a guy who turned back to save his two children was buried with his extended family.
Role shared social media footage showing people clambering over rocks, toppled trees, and dirt mounds for survival. Women may be heard wailing in the background.
"It's very impossible, the area covered by the landslide is large, and there are rocks and trees everywhere," Role said.
"It's very difficult to get them out."
The settlement is located in Enga province, approximately 600 kilometers (370 miles) north of Port Moresby's capital.
Prime Minister James Marape said in a statement that he had not yet received a full briefing but that officials were reacting to the disaster.
The avalanche impacted a portion of the roadway near Barrick Gold's Porgera gold mine, managed under Barrick Niugini Ltd, a joint venture with China's Zijin Mining.
