Another fatal road accident

By GABRIEL LAHOC
ANOTHER fatal road accident has occurred along the Markham valley at Leron involving a truck carrying a 20-foot container loaded with rice bags and a 15-seater van loaded with passengers and heading for Madang.
Most of the passengers in the bus are believed to be dead or suffering from fatal injuries. They were transported to the Mutzing health centre.
However attempts to get in touch with the health centre and Mutzing police station were unsuccessful.
The driver of the truck was reported to have escaped from the scene, while the driver of the PMV suffered from serious injuries and was one of the first to be rushed to the health centre.
The accident according to locals happened between 9am and 10am.
However, a motorist who passed by at around 2pm, said two passengers were still stuck in the bus wreckage, while passersby from the nearby areas were ripping off parts of the two vehicles for themselves.
Michael Talia, Shorncliff PNG’s project manager, travelling up into the highlands region, called on his mobile phone and reported the accident.
He said the truck’s content were looted by locals and passersby, including fuel and parts.
“It’s a very bad scene but also a sad one, I feel sorry for families and the children because from where I stand I can make out some toys of children lying near the wrecks,” Talia said.
“Two of the passengers are still stuck in their seats, and are yet to be taken away to the health centre.”
A couple of locals, who were with Talia, and those at the scene, said they believed both vehicles were heading up the same way with the PMV in front.
They said the PMV, which was travelling at high speed, had a burst tyre which caused it to swerve out of control in front of the truck which ran into the bus.
It could not be confirmed how many passengers were on the truck and if any one of them were casualties.