By Catherine Wilson

PORT MORESBY, Mar. 9, 2012 (IPS) - Early morning on Jan. 24, in the remote Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea, a massive landslide destroyed communities living below a quarry used by the country’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, operated by Esso Highlands, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil.

Six weeks later survivors, still awaiting government assistance, are speaking out following a flawed preliminary investigation.

06 Mar 2012 04:57

• Landslide swept over quarry used for Exxon gas project

• Independent expert had raised safety concerns

• Call for thorough, independent inquiry

• Concerns over unrest among local landowners

By Rebekah Kebede

March 6 (Reuters) - A deadly landslide in the mountains of Papua New Guinea, near where U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil is building a $15.7 billion gas project, is raising fresh questions about the global energy industry's scramble for ever harder-to-reach resources.

This bulletin is being issued for information only and reflects the current situation and details available at this time. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is not seeking funding or other assistance from donors for this operation. The Papua New Guinea (PNG) Red Cross Society will, however, accept direct assistance to provide support to the affected population.

The situation

Over two weeks since a massive landslide hit Tumbi village in PNG's Southern Highlands province, authorities are still unclear about the death toll.

A local disaster coordinator told Asia Pacific, no bodies have been recovered, but at least 25 people have been listed by friends or relatives as missing.

PNG authorities are verifying the list, but it'll be some time before a clear picture emerges, given the mammoth task of cleaning up millions of cubic metres of rock, mud and soil.

Presenter: Sen Lam

Updated 31 January 2012: On Tuesday 24 January at 6am there was a large landslide near Hides in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The landslide displaced three million cubic metres of earth that covered an area of 9.5 hectares. At present there is no reliable information on the number of dead or injured.

Australia immediately offered assistance to the PNG Government following the landslide and has been in constant contact with authorities since the incident occurred.

While the search is still on for villagers buried by the massive landslide in the southern highlands of PNG questions are now being asked about its causes.

The disaster struck near the Tumbi quarry of the giant ExxonMobil liquefied natural gas project near Hides last week.

According to initial reports, the whole side of a mountain collapsed, covering an area stretching about 2km and 500m wide.

Work has resumed at the Exxon Mobil Liquified Natural Gas site in Papua New Guinea, just a couple of day after a landslide devastated two nearby villages in the Southern Highlands killing at least four people.

But locals in Tari say the blasting from nearby quarries caused the landslide.

Presenter:Geraldine Coutts

Speaker:Francis Potape, PNG local member for Komo-Magarima

Listen: Windows Media

By PNG correspondent Liam Fox

Updated January 26, 2012 08:32:54

Video: Dozens feared dead in PNG landslide (7pm TV News NSW)

Wet weather is hampering rescue efforts at the site of a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea where up to 50 people are feared to have been killed.

The village of Tumbi near Tari in the country's Southern Highlands is now a mess of millions of cubic metres of rock and soil after Tuesday's disaster.

Still in Papua New Guinea, government agencies and non-government organisations are now moving to provide assistance to victims of the disaster in PNG's Southern Highlands Province.

Dozens of people are feared killed in a massive landslide which hit villages near the ExxonMobil-led LNG project early on Tuesday.

The ABC's PNG Correspondent has been to there to the site and he says the landslide area is a scene of utter devastation.

Presenter: Bruce Hill

Speaker: ABC's PNG Correspondent, Liam Fox