A Papua New Guinea government official has informed the United Nations that more than 2,000 people are believed to have been buried alive by a landslide on Friday, and has officially requested international assistance.

The government’s estimate is significantly higher than the United Nations’ initial figure of 670 fatalities from the landslide, which struck the mountainous interior of the South Pacific island nation. So far, only six bodies have been recovered.

In a letter to the United Nations resident coordinator dated Sunday, Luseta Laso Mana, the acting director of Papua New Guinea’s National Disaster Center, stated that the landslide “buried more than 2,000 people alive” and caused “major destruction” in Yambali village, located in Enga province.

Assessing the full extent of the disaster has proven difficult due to several challenges, including the remote location of the village, the lack of telecommunications, and ongoing tribal warfare in the province, which necessitates military escorts for international relief workers and aid convoys.