Five bodies have now been recovered from the site of a landslide in a remote part of Papua New Guinea’s Central Province.

It’s believed 15 people, including three children, have been killed in the landslide which happened at an informal mining camp in the early hours of Monday morning.

The recovery effort has been slow, hampered by rain and inaccessibility, but more supplies including water pumps to help clear the fallen earth have been flown in on Thursday.

The region’s Governor Robert Agarobe is hopeful all of the bodies will be recovered within days.

The landslide happened at an informal alluvial mining came where people dig and pan for gold.

Governor Agarobe flew to the site today with extra supplies including food, tools, a generator and water pumps to help clear the fallen earth.

“We will have a few more charters [flights] going up with a few more staff, hopefully we should, in the next day or two, recover the rest of the bodies,” he said.

Coffins are also being flown to the site for the victims.

The location of the landslide is extremely remote, hampering recovery efforts.

A group of people were sleeping at the base of the mountainside when the landslide happened.

The area in the Goilala District, known as Saki, is home to an informal alluvial mining camp where people dig and pan for gold.

While the landslide happened on Monday, details of the incident only emerged on Tuesday due to the remoteness of the area.

It is only accessible by helicopter or a two-hour walk, and has no mobile phone reception.

–ABC