Burials gave way to gasoline-fueled cremations Tuesday, as workers searching for survivors of a devastating tsunami found corpses decaying in the tropical heat.
Officials sent in hunting parties to shoot scavenging animals spotted in the area.
With at least 1,200 dead and 6,000 missing after 23-foot-high walls of water hit the Pacific island Friday night, fear of disease was quickly taking precedence over continued rescue efforts.
Prime Minister Bill Skate said Tuesday he would meet with emergency relief officials to decide whether to evacuate residents.
He said there was little hope of finding the missing alive.
At least 700 bodies have been buried or burned, and Skate estimated 500 more were floating in Sissano lagoon and the sea, festering in the heat.
