9-Mile crash claims 4 lives

FOUR people are dead and three others seriously injured when the vehicle they were travelling in ran into a grader at 9-Mile outside Port Moresby on Saturday afternoon.
The accident occurred along the Sogeri Road at 5pm when the victims, all men from Koiari in Central, were leaving the city and heading home.
Medical examination from doctors at the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) revealed that the victims had consumed liquor when their vehicle ran into the grader.
Eyewitnesses who accompanied the victims to the hospital said the vehicle was travelling at high speed when the driver lost control of the three-tonne dump truck and  the vehicle smashed into a grader parked beside the road.
PMGH accident and emergency coordinator Dr Sam Yokopua said the driver and the off-side passenger, including a third passenger, died upon impact while a fourth passenger was thrown overboard.
Yokopua said the other passenger died on arrival at the hospital and two others were in “serious but stable conditions”.
The two men are in serious conditions with broken bones, internal injuries, and spinal cord injuries.
“Only one passenger managed to escape with minor bruises and cuts from the accident,” he said.
“I must stress that drink driving contributes to a lot of death and injuries, therefore, drivers must act responsibly,” Yokopua said.