Mt Hagen police investigate tragic death of 14 people

POLICE in Mt Hagen are investigating the death of 14 people and injuries to five others after two vehicles collided on the highway on Friday in Tomba, Western Highlands.
Officer in charge of the Mt Hagen traffic division Simon Kik said the postmortem on the 14 were completed yesterday at the Mt Hagen hospital.
The 25-seater bus belongs to the people of Porgera in Enga and the 10-seater vehicle belongs to the people of Kamas in Wabag, Enga.
Drivers of both vehicles died.
“(The road section at) Tomba is prone to road accidents and drivers must be careful when driving through that section,” Kik said.
“So many lives have been lost along that section of the Highlands Highway,” he said.
The deceased and survivors are all from Enga.
Police were told that the driver and two women were in the 10-seat vehicle while the bus was loaded with cargo and passengers.
Initial investigations revealed that both vehicles could have been travelling at high speed when they reached a corner.
Two men, two women and a child are being treated at the Mt Hagen hospital.