2010 Papua New Guinea bus crash
The 2010 Papua New Guinea bus crash was a collision of two buses in Papua New Guinea on 14 January 2010. At least 40 people were killed after a Route 100 (Highway) Coaster bus and a Route 3 public motor vehicle (PMV, a refitted truck used for public transportation) crashed head-on in Papua New Guinea's worst ever road accident.[1] The accident happened 130 km outside of Lae, in Morobe province.[1][2]
| 2010 Papua New Guinea bus crash | |
|---|---|
 Morobe Province in Papua New Guinea, the site of disaster | |
| Details | |
| Date | 14 January 2010 |
| Location | 130 km from Lae, Morobe province. |
| Coordinates | 6.1768°S 146.1558°E |
| Country | Papua New Guinea |
| Line | Route 100 (Highway) & Route 3 |
| Operator | – |
| Owner | – |
| Incident type | Head-on collision |
| Statistics | |
| Bus | Coaster & PMV(truck) |
| Deaths | 40 |
| Injured | dozens |
It was described as "one of the saddest days in the history of road accidents", occurring in an "impoverished" country.[3] The local morgue was unable to cope with demand as bodies from the crash piled up.[4] Two of the dead may have been taken elsewhere which would leave the death toll at 42 if confirmed.[1]
Crash
The two buses were intended to carry only twenty-five people each but were overloaded at the time of the incident.[5][6] The drivers encountered potholes on the road and could not avoid a collision.[3][5] Bodies were thrown through windows and across the road, some onto tar, some onto grass.[1][7] Broken heads, limbs and necks were seen by onlookers.[1] A policeman later said: "This accident appears to have occurred when both drivers tried to avoid potholes, and in the process collided".[5]
Some local people rushed to assist those in need of attention,[7] claiming they had never before seen such a "bloody and macabre" scene.[1] Eighteen people were hospitalised in the aftermath of the accident.[5] Eight of these people were left in intensive care.[3] Some of these eight are not expected to survive.[4] One passenger, 22-year-old Gideon Jack, said he was asleep at the time of the crash and woke up to find his bloodied body being loaded into a truck.[7] Media in Papua New Guinea posted what were described by ABC Radio Australia's News as "shocking photographs of bodies hanging out of the mangled wreckage of the two buses".[4]
The buses were described by media in Australia as "mangled wrecks".[7] Angau Hospital in Lae saw its morgue packed with bodies and relatives came to check if anyone they knew was amongst them.[7] The morgue was unable to cope as bodies kept coming in, prompting requests for refrigerator donations.[4][8]
Response
Assistant Police Commissioner Giossi Labi described the crash as follows: "It is one of the saddest days in the history of road accidents where we have such a number of commuters die at once".[5] He also accused bus drivers of speeding so they could make more money by getting to their destinations quicker and picking up more passengers.[9]
Peter Guinness, a superintendent, said: "There are so many potholes along the highway. Some of these potholes are like craters. Now they basically wanted to avoid those potholes".[4]
Koni Iguan, a parliamentarian, said it was "the most horrific accident" ever witnessed and described it as "This is the nastiest and bloodiest of accidents on the highway".[3] Nearby villagers backed him up as he said no less than 10 deaths would be expected from such a horrific accident.[1]
References
- Pisai Gumar and Daisy Taniova Pawa. "Forty killed". The National. Papua New Guinea. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- "40 dead in PNG bus smash: reports". AFP. 14 January 2010. Archived from the original on 20 January 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- "40 dead in PNG bus crash". The Straits Times. 14 January 2010. Archived from the original on 19 January 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
- Liam Foxe (14 January 2010). "Forty dead after PNG bus collision". ABC Radio Australia. Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
- "38 people killed in Papua New Guinea bus crash". The Columbian. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- "Bus accident in PNG claims 38 lives". Radio New Zealand. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
- "Bus crash leaves 38 dead in 'saddest day'". news.com.au. 14 January 2010. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
- "40 dead in PNG bus crash". ABC News. 14 January 2010. Archived from the original on 18 January 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
- Gridneff, Ilya (14 January 2010). "PNG bus crash leaves 38 dead". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 18 January 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.