One dead, hundreds homeless in PNG flood

April 28, 2006 - 5:30PM


Floods and landslides in Papua New Guinea's Southern Highlands Province have claimed one man's life and left hundreds of people homeless after wiping out their village houses and food gardens.

The rush of water down from the volcano of Mt Giluwe followed some sort of explosion up the mountain, a worker at the Catholic aid organisation Caritas PNG said.

The floods down the river hit at lunchtime when people were in their houses at Kuma in the Upper Mendi region, she said.

The people living along the river scrambled to higher ground and escaped but one man was drowned and his body could be seen in the water before it disappeared.

Efforts were under way to get relief supplies to the area to assist homeless families staying with friends or relatives or living in makeshift shelters.

© 2006 AAP