The race to free survivors of a Papua New Guinea landslide that killed 300 people

Local residents carry a man on a stretcher as rescue teams search for survivors of a massive landslide. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

More than 300 people and more than 1,100 homes have been buried in a massive landslide that leveled a remote village in northern Papua New Guinea, local media reported on Saturday.

There are fears that a landslide that hit the village of Kaokalam in Enga province killed hundreds of people. 370 miles (600 km) northwest of the capital Port Moresby, around 3am Friday (7pm Thursday UK).

A landslide in the Pacific country north of Australia killed more than 300 people and 1,182 houses, the Papua New Guinea Post Courier newspaper reported, citing comments from the country's parliament member Aimos Akem. 

More than six villages were affected by a landslide in the province's Mulitaka district, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said on Saturday.

“The Australian High Commission in Port Moresby is in close contact with PNG authorities to further assess the extent of damage and casualties,” a DFAT spokesperson said.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Saturday that four bodies had been recovered from the area after emergency crews arrived in the sparsely populated area where the death toll is expected to rise .

The landslide blocked access to the highway, so helicopters were the only way to reach the area, the television station reported.

At least 1,100 homes were destroyed. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Social media footage posted by villager Ninga Rawle showed people clambering over rocks, uprooted trees and mounds of dirt, searching for something survivors could be heard crying in the background.

Prime Minister James Marape said emergency personnel, the Defense Force and the Department of Works and Highways were assisting with relief and recovery efforts.