An elderly woman from Lada village near Basamuk, in Rai Coast district of Madang, narrowly escaped death when drunkards mistakenly slashed her hand with a bush knife over the weekend.
The men were chasing a youth through the village when the grandmother came out to see what was happening outside.
The mother of five, identified as Kairen Kembe, was shocked when she saw a bush knife aimed at her head. She instinctively put up her hands to ward off the weapon, resulting in her hand getting severely slashed.
The encounter with the drunks happened less than a week after the woman lost her grandson after a motorised dingy overturned near Yalau beach, about five kilometres from their home.
The body of her grandson was found a couple of days later, entangled in fishing strings entangled.
The woman’s husband, Kembe Buso, an employee of Ramu NiCo (MCC) at Basamuk Refinery, reported the matter to police.
According to Buso, his wife did not mean to go outside, but because her two children were outside, she decided to check up on them.
Police at Basamuk have already identified the main suspect.
A medical officer of Ramu NiCo stitched Kembe’s fingers. However, she was asked to go to the main Modilon General Hospital in Madang town for further examination of the broken bones in her hand.
(Kairen Kembe showing her injury during the treatment at Basamuk Refinery clinic)