Two trucks transporting containers of tinned fish were looted by travelers after they skidded off the road and turned over along the Iguruwe section of the Madang-Ramu highway。
Iguruwe community spokesman， Samuel Masawa said the first truck that was carrying tinned fish destined for Mt Hagen skidded off the road as it was ascending the hill and turned over blocking the road.
Masawa said vehicles and PMV buses transporting buai buyers have had to wait for hours。Stranded passengers after the long wait eventually decided to break open the containers to help themselves to the tinned fish。
“Most of the buai buyers who helped themselves to the loot were from Western Highlands,” Masawa said。
“The Kange brothers shared their loot with other travellers travelling in other PMV buses going to Lae and other highlands centre,”he added。
Madang Traffic police confirmed the incident which took place last weekend。
The Madang-Ramu highway is a vital transport link for goods and services and cheap means for travellers, however, over the years the unstable landmass on which the road is constructed has seen many damages and maintenances causing the Government millions of kina.
Moreover，the land is always facing landslips which causes problems for travellers and business houses which rely heavily on the road link.
There are a number of steep ascends along the road which during the wet season are slippery, therefore, passengers would need to go down to assist push the vehicles, as seen in the photograph.
There had been talks by the Works Department and Madang leaders on diverting the present road using another route, however, that had not come to fruition.
A lot of random road maintenance had been done along the road over the years, however, when the rain season comes, it is back to square one again.