Travellers stranded after culvert washed away

By DOROTHY MARK
Hundreds of travellers were stranded when heavy flooding washed away a culvert on the Usino-Madang highway in Madang on Tuesday night.
The Madang disaster office reported that heavy flooding in the area washed off a culvert along the highway in the Igiruwe area.
Acting director for disaster and emergency Rudolf Mongallee said hundreds of vehicles and passengers on both sides of the highway were left stranded.
“The highway was washed away and the flood created a 10-15 metre deep creek that makes crossing very difficult,” he said.
Mongallee said locals from the area created a temporary crossing upstream to help passengers cross.
Some passengers managed to walk across using the Ramu NiCo slurry pipe along the highway.
Pewa Aimai, a local from the area, said heavy rain that night accompanied by thunder storms caused flooding that washed away culverts and a section of the highway.
Aimai said travellers were left stranded on either ends of the highway since Tuesday night.
He said some returned to where they came from and others were assisted by locals to cross.
Mongallee has appealed to people living in the area to take precautions during this period of heavy rains in the province.
“This heavy rain can cause landslides so I urge people living along slopes to move to safe places.”