Crash vehicle which killed girl unroadworthy

A PMV truck involved in a fatal accident at Toma, East New Britain, last Friday was unroadworthy, police claim.
A grade 12 female student died in the accident and 19 were injured, acting provincial police commander Senior Inspector Joseph Tabali said yesterday.
Police found the vehicle was unregistered, uninsured and the driver did not have a licence.
Tabali said investigations are continuing. He said the deceased was Amanda Nirigut, 16, from Viviran in Toma, Gazelle. She attended Malabunga Secondary School and was travelling home on the day of the accident.
Tabali said the vehicle heading towards Viviran was going downhill when it ran off the road and down the valley and hit a tree, causing it to overturn.
“All its wheels were up in the air,” he said.
“The weather that day had just cleared up after the rain and the roads were wet.”
St Mary’s Vunapope Hospital administrator Albert Seri said 19 other students from Malabunga were brought to the hospital along with Nirigut at 3.40pm.
He said two students were referred to Nonga General Hospital, three were admitted at Vunapope and were in stable condition and 14 had minor injuries.
Seri said there was a need to have the facts and not “jump the gun” when relaying information on the number of deaths, saying there needs to be respect for the families of the victims.
Nonga General Hospital chief executive Dr Ako Yap confirmed they treated seven people from the accident last Friday at the accident and emergency department.
He said they were all referred from St Mary’s Vunapope and the Paparatava Health Centre at Toma and they were all students from Malabunga Secondary