2010 Papua New Guinea bus crash
Encyclopedia
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. The accident happened 130 km outside of Lae
, in Morobe
province.
It was described as "one of the saddest days in the history of road accidents", occurring in an "impoverished" country. The local morgue
was unable to cope with demand as bodies from the crash piled up. Two of the dead may have been taken elsewhere which would leave the death toll at 42 if confirmed.
s on the road and could not avoid a collision. Bodies were thrown through windows and across the road, some onto tar, some onto grass. Broken heads, limbs and necks were seen by onlookers. A policeman later said: "This accident appears to have occurred when both drivers tried to avoid pothole
s, and in the process collided".
Some local people rushed to assist those in need of attention, claiming they had never before seen such a "bloody and macabre" scene. Many of those injured died on the scene quite quickly. Eight others received serious wounds. Many more died before emergency services arrived on the scene. Eighteen people were hospitalised in the aftermath of the accident. Eight of these people were left in intensive care. Some of these eight are not expected to survive. 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. 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".
The buses were described by media in Australia
as "mangled wrecks". Angau Hospital in Lae saw its morgue packed with bodies and relatives came to check if anyone they knew was amongst them. The morgue was unable to cope as bodies kept coming in, prompting requests for refrigerator donations.
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".
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". Nearby villagers backed him up as he said no less than 10 deaths would be expected from such a horrific accident.
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
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. The accident happened 130 km outside of Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
, in Morobe
Morobe
Morobe may refer to several places in Papua New Guinea:*Morobe Province*Morobe, Papua New Guinea*Morobe Goldfield *Morobe Bay...
province.
It was described as "one of the saddest days in the history of road accidents", occurring in an "impoverished" country. The local morgue
Morgue
A morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
was unable to cope with demand as bodies from the crash piled up. Two of the dead may have been taken elsewhere which would leave the death toll at 42 if confirmed.
Crash
The two buses were intended to carry only twenty-five people each but were overloaded at the time of the incident. They were also said to have been speeding, traveling as fast as 100 km/h (62.1 mph). The drivers encountered potholePothole
A pothole is a type of disruption in the surface of a roadway where a portion of the road material has broken away, leaving a hole.- Formation :...
s on the road and could not avoid a collision. Bodies were thrown through windows and across the road, some onto tar, some onto grass. Broken heads, limbs and necks were seen by onlookers. A policeman later said: "This accident appears to have occurred when both drivers tried to avoid pothole
Pothole
A pothole is a type of disruption in the surface of a roadway where a portion of the road material has broken away, leaving a hole.- Formation :...
s, and in the process collided".
Some local people rushed to assist those in need of attention, claiming they had never before seen such a "bloody and macabre" scene. Many of those injured died on the scene quite quickly. Eight others received serious wounds. Many more died before emergency services arrived on the scene. Eighteen people were hospitalised in the aftermath of the accident. Eight of these people were left in intensive care. Some of these eight are not expected to survive. 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. 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".
The buses were described by media in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as "mangled wrecks". Angau Hospital in Lae saw its morgue packed with bodies and relatives came to check if anyone they knew was amongst them. The morgue was unable to cope as bodies kept coming in, prompting requests for refrigerator donations.
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". He also accused bus drivers of speeding so they could make more money by getting to their destinations quicker and picking up more passengers.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".
Koni Iguan
Koni Iguan
Koni Iguan is a Papua New Guinea politician. He is the member of parliament for the Markham Open constituency and is a member of the People's Labor Party...
, 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". Nearby villagers backed him up as he said no less than 10 deaths would be expected from such a horrific accident.