SHP death toll reaches 40

By JAMES GUMUNO
GOVERNMENT authorities have confirmed that death toll in Southern Highlands has reached 40 – excluding the 25 who are yet to be accounted for.
Acting provincial administrator Thomas Eluh, the chairman of the provincial disaster committee, told The National yesterday that the five new confirmed deaths were from the Nipa/Kutubu (three) and Mendi/Munhiu districts. They had died at the care centres from injuries and sicknesses.
Eluh said the 25 unaccounted for included 22 from Mt Bosavi in the Nipa-Kutubu district and three from Ialibu-Pangia district.
He said the death toll would increase as they continued to reach the remote parts of the province.
Meanwhile, his committee received the first three containers of food supplies yesterday and were in the process of distributing them to the affected communities.
“We received rice, biscuits, and water and will airlift the supplies and distribute them to the communities,” he said.
Eluh said he expected more relief supplies to arrive soon in the province.
He said medical teams escorted by police from Mendi had gone to the care centre at Pimaga and other small centres in the Nipa-Kutubu district to provide medical care.
Works Minister Michael Nali and Secretary David Wereh were assessing the damage to roads and bridges.
They want to have the roads to be repaired as quickly as possible to allow traffic to flow once again.