The country's National Disaster Centre said in a letter to the UN that the landslide has caused major destruction to buildings, food gardens and has also damaged the economy.

The main highway to Poguera Mine has been completely blocked. This landslide hit Enga province which is around 600 kilometres northwest of the capital Port Moresby.

It happened on Friday. The country has urged for international assistance to help manage this disaster.

Well my colleague Katie Watson joins us live from Sydney. So Katie, just that difficult news that 2,000 people have been killed in this landslide.

There was certainly concern that the death toll would rise but it's important to emphasise that these are estimated figures.

As of Sunday about five bodies had been recovered. It's very difficult to get to the rescue site.

Getting heavy machinery there is also proving a challenge.

So villagers have been using shovels and sticks just to be able to get through the debris which in some places is as high as eight metres.

So these are still very much estimates based on how many houses were destroyed, how many people authorities think were in them at the time.

And remember this was a landslide that hit around three in the morning, a time when most people of course would have been sleeping.

So there is concern of course of the heavy death toll but still numbers are very hard.

Final numbers certainly won't be coming through anytime soon but certainly this estimate is a huge shock.

It's a massive number and of course the rescue mission is still very much underway.

And talk us through that rescue mission because we understand it's a difficult area to reach and it's been made even more difficult by local activities there.

That's right. As you said it's about 600 kilometres from the capital.

It's a highland area that's not a stranger to landslides. It's also not a stranger to violence.

A few months ago there was a massacre. There's tribal violence.

There's concern that that is also hampering the rescue mission.

Of course in terms of transporting people in and out of the area, doing it after dark is a security concern.

But also just logistically getting equipment to this remote area, getting assistance.

There are humanitarian aid agencies on the ground who are trying to help with food and water and shelter and bedding.

And also the disaster centre has said, has called on international partners for assistance.

Here in Australia for example the prime minister has already said that it's standing by ready to help where it can.

So it's a question of how to get that help as quickly as possible because of course it's still far from under control.

Especially in an area where there's still water and there's still concern about the land still sliding.

So concern about the land still sliding. This was an area where we described the people as growing their own food, as having food gardens.

How much of an impact will this have on the local region given the destruction that we're seeing?

Well Papua New Guinea is a very rural population. Many people do live outside of the cities and in areas where they're growing their own food.

And this is what we've seen is a huge area of houses and their gardens and their farmland.

It's completely wiped out and these people are obviously surviving on the land.

And that's what they need to be able to sustain the communities.

Which is why humanitarian aid agencies are trying to help the community and many of the community that's been displaced.

People who've had to leave their homes because they're unsafe.

So we're still talking about a very difficult situation for those survivors.

And of course those survivors are also looking for their loved ones in among the debris.

Yes a very difficult situation. Katie Watson as always thanks very much.