40 missing in PNG landside

ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION
Still photographs show the aftermath of a landslide that swept through two villages in Papua New Guinea on Tuesday (January 24), covering much of the settlements in mud and leaving up to 40 people missing, officials and residents told Australian media.
The accident, which occurred in the island state's Southern Highlands on Tuesday morning, prompted U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil to stop work at its nearby 15.7 billion US dollar liquefied natural gas (PNG LNG) project.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said it was unclear how many people had been affected by the landslide due to conflicting local reports.
But local parliamentarian Francis Potape told ABC radio the slide covered two villages in mud, leaving some residents buried. Joseph Warai, a resident of the stricken area, said around 40 people were missing.
The Papua New Guinea police and the National Disaster Centre were unavailable for comment, with officials expected at the landslide site on Wednesday.