MELBOURNE, Australia — A Papua New Guinea government official has informed the United Nations that more than 2,000 people are believed to have been buried alive by Friday’s landslide and has formally requested international assistance.

The government figure is roughly triple the U.N. estimate of 670 killed by the landslide in the South Pacific island nation’s mountainous interior. So far, the remains of only six people have been recovered.

In a letter seen by The Associated Press to the United Nations resident coordinator dated Sunday, the acting director of Papua New Guinea’s National Disaster Center, Luseta Laso Mana, said the landslide “buried more than 2,000 people alive” and caused “major destruction” in the village of Yambali in Enga province.

Estimates of the casualties have varied widely since the disaster occurred, and it was not immediately clear how officials arrived at the number of people affected. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is working closely with the government and taking a leading role in the international response, has not changed its estimated death toll of 670 released on Sunday, pending new evidence.

“We are not able to dispute what the government suggests, but we are not able to comment on it,” said Serhan Aktoprak, the chief of the U.N. migrant agency’s mission in Papua New Guinea. “As time goes on in such a massive undertaking, the number will remain fluid,” Aktoprak added.

The death toll of 670 was based on calculations by Yambali village and Enga provincial officials that more than 150 homes had been buried by the landslide. The previous estimate had been 60 homes. The office of Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape did not respond Monday to a request for an explanation of what the government estimate of 2,000 was based on.

Determining the scale of the disaster is difficult due to challenging conditions on the ground, including the village’s remote location, a lack of telecommunications, and tribal warfare throughout the province, which means international relief workers and aid convoys require military escorts. The landslide also buried a 650-foot stretch of the province’s main highway under debris 20 to 26 feet deep, creating a significant obstacle for relief workers.

Mana said the landslide would have a major economic impact on the entire country. “The situation remains unstable” due to the shifting ground, “posing ongoing danger to both the rescue teams and survivors alike,” Mana wrote to the United Nations.

An excavator donated by a local builder on Sunday became the first piece of heavy earth-moving machinery brought in to help villagers who have been digging with shovels and farming tools to find bodies. Working around the still-shifting debris is treacherous.

Mana and Papua New Guinea’s defense minister, Billy Joseph, flew on Sunday in an Australian military helicopter from the capital of Port Moresby to Yambali, 370 miles to the northwest, to gain a firsthand perspective of what is needed. Mana’s office posted a photo of him at Yambali handing a local official a check for 500,000 kina ($130,000) to buy emergency supplies for the 4,000 displaced survivors.

The purpose of the visit was to decide whether Papua New Guinea’s government needed to officially request more international support. Earth-moving equipment used by Papua New Guinea’s military was being transported to the disaster scene 250 miles from the east coast city of Lae.

Traumatized villagers are divided over whether heavy machinery should be allowed to dig up and potentially further damage the bodies of their buried relatives, officials said.

This disaster highlights the urgent need for international support and the challenges faced in remote and conflict-affected areas. The international community is being called upon to provide immediate assistance, including heavy machinery, medical supplies, and expert personnel, to help manage the aftermath of this catastrophic event.

Local and international aid organizations are coordinating to deliver relief to the affected areas, but the enormity of the disaster and the difficult terrain are complicating efforts. The full extent of the damage and the human toll will likely not be known for some time as rescue and recovery operations continue.

The tragic incident in Yambali village underscores the vulnerability of remote communities to natural disasters and the critical importance of rapid and coordinated disaster response mechanisms. As the situation develops, the resilience and support of the global community will be crucial in aiding Papua New Guinea through this devastating crisis.

Further complicating the response efforts is the ongoing threat of tribal conflicts in the region. These conflicts have historically hindered aid delivery and could pose additional risks to both survivors and rescuers. The Papua New Guinea government has urged tribal leaders to maintain peace and cooperate with relief efforts to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the response.

The international community's swift and robust support will be essential in mitigating the disaster's impact and helping the affected communities rebuild. The coordination between local authorities, international aid organizations, and the United Nations will be vital in addressing the immediate needs of the survivors and laying the groundwork for long-term recovery and resilience-building in the region.