Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Deadly floods

Caption: That’s how high the water reached ... Villagers pointing to debris trapped by this tree to show the height of the flood waters at its peak.

 

2 killed, 6 missing as river burst its banks

 

TWO children drowned and six people are still missing as heavy rain wreaked havoc on coastal villages in Central province, west of Port Moresby, at the weekend, The National reports.

Six houses were swept away by the flooding Veimauri River, which also destroyed food gardens, provincial disaster officials reported yesterday.

The bodies of the two children, a seven-year-old girl and her two-year-old brother, were recovered among flood debris, along the Veimauri River early yesterday morning and taken to the Port Moresby General Hospital morgue for post-mortem results.

The mother had also been swept away by flood waters but was found alive by villagers.

Disaster officials said the Veimauri burst its banks on Saturday, washing away the homes and food gardens at Avara village, near the Galley Ridge rubber estate at Doa, not far from the Hiritano Highway.

They said the search was continuing for the missing six.

Yesterday afternoon, Central Governor Alphonse Moroi, accompanied by Central police commander Chief Supt John Maru, visited the area and assured the people that shelter, clothing and food would be dispatched from Port Moresby today.

Maru said that Central police would lead the search for the six still missing, further down the river.

The Galley Ridge rubber estate at Doa and Avara village border on the Veimauri River.

Avara village is made up of people originally from Woitape in Goilala and Koiari area who are landowners there.

It has a population of more than 200 people with homes scattered along the river, up to the Veimauri Bridge at the Hiritano Highway crossing.

Last night, Maru confirmed that there were other villages along the Doa area which were affected by flood waters, although not as seriously as Avara.

Police would check them out today to see whether they suffered casualties, he said.

 

 

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