KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says Malaysia is ready to offer assistance to the people of Papua New Guinea following the deadly landslide that has claimed hundreds of lives in a remote village on the island.
In a Facebook posting, Anwar said that Malaysia stands ready to provide assistance to "our brothers and sisters" in Papua New Guinea after expressing sympathy and that his "thoughts" are with the people of Papua New Guinea.
"My thoughts are with the people of Papua New Guinea following the devastating landslide that has claimed over a hundred lives in Enga province.
"Taking place in a remote, mountainous and rugged region in the early hours of Friday morning, the humanitarian response to this tragedy will be especially challenging," his post read.
Early Friday (May 24) morning, a massive landslide hit a remote highland area of Enga province in northern Papua New Guinea.
Rescue teams began arriving at the site on Saturday, helping villagers search for the scores of people feared dead under the towering mounds of rubble and mud.
Dozens of homes were levelled by the landslide and buried families alive.
More than 50 homes, many with people still asleep inside, were buried when the landslide hit Kaokalam village around 3 am, Reuters reported.