Manus Fire: Some remains recovered, investigations continue

The remains of four of the 10 Chinese nationals that perished in one of the worst fire disasters in Manus Province, were found yesterday.

What remains of the six other victims have yet to be recovered.

Manus Provincial Police Commander, Chief Inspector, David Yapu, said forensic officers from Port Moresby have flown into Manus and are working with local police to retrieve the burnt bodies.

The place of fire, the Splendid supermarket is the largest shopping center in Manus consisting of a supermarket, wholesale and hardware.

According to police reports, the fire which took place during the early hours of Friday, spread quickly, trapping the 10 Chinese nationals, who sleep in a bedroom in the supermarket.

The 6 females and 4 males were caught out in the fire and burnt to death.

“The identities of the 10 Chinese are withheld until their families are notified, PPC Yapu said.

This fire tragedy is one of the worst for the province and the country, and the Manus PPC is calling for the presence of fire service in the province.

PPC Yapu said this is the fourth major fire incident in Manus, however they were hopeless in putting out the fire, thus seriously calling for relevant government agencies to look into this as a priority.

The cause of the fire is still unknown at this stage.

Author: 
Glenda Popot