More than 670 people have died in Papua New Guinea's massive landslide, the UN migration agency estimated yesterday as rescue efforts continued.

Media in the South Pacific nation north of Australia had previously estimated Friday's landslide had buried more than 300 people. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said earlier yesterday that only five bodies had been retrieved from the rubble.

The agency based its death toll estimates on information provided by officials at Yambali Village in the Enga province, who say more than 150 houses were buried in Friday's landslide.